Kiwis on patrol in Southern Ocean
The HMNZS Otago is negotiating the frigid swells of the Southern Ocean, on patrol for illegal fishing.
Before the New Zealand Defence Force vessel left Devonport Naval Base late last month, its crew undertook a week of training drills in the Hauraki Gulf. Lieutenant Commander Lorna Gray, the first female commanding officer of a Royal New Zealand warship, said it was vital to get her sailors ready for the inhospitable conditions off the coast of Antarctica.
‘‘So right now we’re busy training, I’ve got my beanie on and my gloves to get the muscle memory going of what it’s going to be like out in the cold weather,’’ she said on the deck of the ship as it roamed the gulf on one of its training days.
‘‘It’s just all about getting the team understanding that when they come out the door, they’ve got to put on their cold weather gear, so we don’t get stuck to guard rails and that sort of thing.’’
Since 1923 New Zealand has maintained a right of sovereignty over the Ross Dependency, a chunk of Antarctic territory.
New Zealand is also a member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which protects the Antarctic marine ecosystem and manages sustainable harvesting.
Preparing to visit this hostile region, the crew suited up in cold water gear and were deployed to board dummy fishing vessels alongside Ministry for Primary Industries officers.
The crew would ultimately be boarding and inspecting real fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean.
Throughout its training days on the water, the crew’s evaluation team threw different scenarios at them – including the captain of one dummy vessel who struggled to speak English.
But Gray said by far the biggest hazard in the Southern Ocean was the freezing conditions and at times colossal waves.
The HMNZS Otago’s current crew will spend Christmas in the Southern Ocean, returning in the New Year.