The government of Argentina intends to lease the Russian icebreaker Vassily Golovnin for its next Antarctic expedition, official sources in Buenos Aires said Wednesday according to Itar-Tass. The Vassily Golovnin will take the place of the Argentine vessel Admiral Irizar, which is currently under repairs after a fire aboard.
Mariano Memolli, Director of Argentina's National Antarctic Institute (NAI), has pointed out that the decision to lease the Russian icebreaker was taken after a scrutiny of the Admiral Irizar and of the technical characteristics of other Argentine ships involved in national Antarctic programmes. "We ruled out the possibility that following the recent fire, the Admiral Irizar can be repaired by the needed date," Memolli said. He pointed out that the other Argentine ships do not meet the necessary requirements. "We have chosen the Russian icebreaker because it is the best suited (for the mission)," the NAI Director emphasized.