First US polar-certified tug tows ice-resistant pier to Antarctica

TradeWinds said certification required a comprehensive polar plan and risk analysis addressing navigation, extreme weather, engineering safeguards, tow-winch protection and enhanced survival equipment.

The tow needed logistical planning and compliance with New Zealand’s stringent biofouling regulations, with Rachel’s hull cleaned by divers in Honolulu, while Discovery qualified for an exemption to these rules as it was newly constructed.

Both arrived in Lyttelton on 28 January 2026, where TradeWinds management co-ordinated with the port authority to prepare for a 40-day round-voyage to Antarctica.

“Local officials noted that this was the first tug-and-tow configuration of its kind to enter the harbour in well over 15 years, drawing significant public interest,” said TradeWinds.

Its departure from New Zealand included two ice pilots from Skua Ice Pilots of Chile, as required by the IMO Polar Code, and close co-ordination with the US Coast Guard’s only Antarctic ice-breaking cutter, Polar Star.

Its voyage to McMurdo Station, escorted by Polar Star, included a four-day route adjustment to avoid severe Southern Ocean weather systems and sailing through 7-9-m wave heights.

On 20 February, Rachel entered the ice gate in the Ross Sea, within reach of McMurdo station, where the 34-m tug safely moored the new pier to shore with support from Polar Star, GM&I technical experts, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Naval Construction Battalions and NSF representatives.

“The Southern Ocean gave the relatively low freeboard of the barge a bit of a fight”

Rachel’s captain, Justin Gustafson, said the whole tow was an “epic and historic voyage” with environmental and technical challenges.

“The Southern Ocean gave the relatively low freeboard of the barge a bit of a fight during the final leg of the voyage,” he said.

“With the help of our shoreside team and weather services, we were able to properly plan around the weather for a large portion of the transit by holding position north of an advancing front for approximately four days.”

TradeWinds used forecasting from Locus Weather to deliver timely and precise updates to the tug crew and onshore management team as conditions evolved across the voyage.

“With the help of the Skua Ice Pilots and Polar Star, we were able to avoid significant contact with sea ice during our final transit into McMurdo, with Polar Star making a pass through an ice flow 15 nautical miles north of McMurdo,” said Capt Gustafson.

At 345-gt, Rachel has a beam of 10 m, a draught of 4 m, accommodation for 10 crew members, an Intercon double-drum DD200 winch with 51-mm diameter wire, a towing hawser and a capstan on the bow for barge handling.

Gunderson Marine & Iron president Dee Burch said Discovery pier, which was engineered and fabricated in Portland, would “support critical scientific research in one of the harshest environments on Earth.”

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