On Saturday night, the SA Agulhas II, SA’s icebreaking polar supply and research ship, sailed away from the blinking lights of East London.
MPs, media representatives, and stakeholders in the ocean’s economy settled among the scientists and crew returning from the Antarctic for a demonstration cruise to Cape Town.
Earlier that afternoon, thousands of visitors had flooded the stairways, eager for the vessel tour, talks from experts, and learning about the groundbreaking research taking place in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
This includes studies on marine biology, oceanography, environmental monitoring, marine biodiversity, benthic communities, seabed habitats, marine pollution (such as microplastics), and the affects of climate change on the region.
University of Fort Hare student Liyema Lugodlo, 22, from East London, said: “I brought my little nieces to see the ship because I wanted to take away the stereotype that there are limited careers.
“The eldest is six and learnt about marine biology, so that’s her favourite career now.
“I didn’t know before how diverse it was inside the ship.
“You’d expect it to be just rooms, but there was a whole hospital, there are rooms made out of different materials for specific reasons.
“Some rooms had different temperatures — seeing the equipment that they use. It was worth it.”
The SA Agulhas II plays a pivotal role in supporting research and exploration in one of the most extreme and least understood environments on Earth, according to the SA National Antarctic Programme (Sanap) website.
Owned by the department of forestry, fisheries & the environment, the ship returned from its annual Antarctic relief voyage, which left Cape Town in December 2024 and docked in East London on February 12.
The expedition transports supplies and personnel between SA and research bases in Antarctica, and Marion and the Gough islands.
The expedition’s overwinter team of experts also returned to Cape Town, with a new team set to take their place for the upcoming year.
“The vessel also delivers critical scientific personnel, scientists, and engineers who are essential for conducting experiments, research, and environmental monitoring on the frozen continent,” Sanap said.
The ship, built for R1.3bn by STX Finland, is a marvel of engineering, equipped with advanced laboratories, state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, a hangar and helideck capable of serving two helicopters.
But for this reporter with no sea legs, I advise taking seasick pills before you embark, or else Saturday’s steak will come right back up and your poor cabinmate will have to spend the evening listening to you wretch in the (wonderfully clean and neat) en suite bathroom.
The safety drill on Sunday morning exhumed old childhood fears of being stuck in a room slowly filling up with water.
During the demonstration in the auditorium, a member of the crew shuffled into a crinkly, orange safety suit, your swaddle from the elements and hypothermia.
The only way to settle the stomach was an out-of-hours trip to ship doctor Joseph Tewson, who reassured me that no-one had ever died from seasickness, and handed over rehydrate and medication.
It worked, and finally, I ascended to the highest viewpoint without wobbling.
The “monkey deck” is an enclosed glass room that overlooks the ship’s bow.
Two marine top predator observers volunteering for DFFE Oceans and Coasts, Tavis Dalton and Kyle Maurer, would in two-hour shifts, scan for signs of life across the ocean.
A pod of dolphins popped past, juvenile albatrosses tipped the water with their wings, a few seals, and a lone whale — but when at the research bases they spot killer whales, count massive penguin colonies and seals to marvel at.
Dalton, 32, from Cape Town, explained their role in documenting sightings of sea birds and marine mammals for long-term research.
“These will be logged and the data kept to help update distribution maps, and to overlay it with phytoplankton data to see the correlation between them,” he said.
The pair spent a week at SA’s SANAE IV base, a dream for Dalton.
SANAE IV is an Antarctic research base located in Vesleskarvet, Queen Maud Land.
The base is part of the Sanap and is operated by the SA National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE).
“I always wanted to experience SANAE IV for myself, being part of the programme and being able to visit the continent is something I’ve always wanted, and had the privilege to do,” Dalton said.
On the importance of the vessel, he said: “The research it does can be used as an important tool to feed into the data centres we already have.
“Whether it’s to understand oceanography, to the distribution of mammals and birds, it can help create conservation networks within the marine environment.
“It surpassed all my expectations in every way.
“From what we saw, to the vastness of the landscape, it was one of my favourite things.
“SANAE itself is an epic spot,” Dalton said.
When not working, there were parties, board games, puzzles, biweekly yoga and breathing classes given by Dr Tewson.
Radar engineer Heinrich Benz, 26, from Cape Town, overwintered in the Antarctic for a year.
His next voyage will be in April, for another 12 months.
Benz said: “It’s good to be going home, there’s a lot of people that mean a lot to me that I haven’t seen in a year.
“Antarctica is cold, dry and windy. It’s a harsh kind of beauty. You’re living in a desert, so it’s not pleasant all the time.
“But you appreciate the natural wildness that you’re experiencing. It’s life-changing.
“You go through a lot of hardship because it is very isolated with only nine people.
“But it is beautiful.”
On the final night aboard, we searched for bioluminescence in the churning water behind the ship.
Instead, specks of moonlight hit the splashes from the water trail, pushing for an early Cape Town arrival.
It may have been the only night I would ever get to lie down on a helideck, heads in a circle — this writer, a marine top predator observer, a junior scientist, a radar engineer and a doctor, searching for shooting stars.
Welcoming the vessel at east Pier at Cape Town’s Waterfront on Monday, forestry, fisheries & environment minister Dr Dion George said: “To the crew of the SA Agulhas II, the scientists, and the experts on board, we commend your dedication and expertise.
“Your work in extreme environments is a testament to South Africa’s resilience, innovation, and leadership in environmental science.”
Daily Dispatch