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PORT HUENEME, Calif. — A Military Sealift Command-chartered heavy lift vessel has wrapped up its role in this year’s resupply of Antarctica, completing an offload in Port Hueneme after supporting Operation Deep Freeze 2026 and the annual mission to sustain McMurdo Station.
Plantijngracht arrived April 2 and discharged 274 containers of retrograde materials, including station waste and recyclables returned from Antarctica. The ship also delivered ice-core samples that will be shared with scientists for further study.
The mission began in early January at Port Hueneme, where the crew loaded 302 pieces of cargo—containers filled with food, dry goods, supplies and comfort items—meant to account for nearly 80 percent of what the station needs to endure the severe arctic winter when it is isolated.
In addition to supplies, the ship carried 24-foot sections for a 65-ton floating Modular Causeway System to replace McMurdo’s ice pier. The traditional pier of rebar and frozen seawater was deemed unusable due to the size and weight of this year’s delivery. Once on site, the causeway was assembled in sections on the deck, placed into the water and floated into position to form the final pier.
After a brief stop in New Zealand to resupply and take on 71 more containers, Plantijngracht proceeded to McMurdo Station, where teams from Military Sealift Command Pacific and Navy Cargo Handling Battalions ONE and FIVE conducted the offload. When the delivery was complete, the ship recovered the causeway system, delivered it to Japan, and returned to Port Hueneme.
“The cargo delivery from California to Antarctica is one of the longest supply chains in the world. The ships that deliver the cargo play a huge role providing supplies that sustain multiple stations on the continent,” said Marie Morrow, MSC’s ship liaison to the Joint Support Forces Antarctica staff. “ODF is a mission that few people will ever be a part of. It takes a team of professionals, with a vast knowledge base to see it through to a successful completion, and I am so honored to have been a part of it. It’s been a long few months, and I’m happy to see the 2026 mission wrapping up, but I’m already looking ahead to 2027.”
Operation Deep Freeze is a joint service, ongoing Defense Support to Civilian Authorities mission in support of the National Science Foundation, which leads the U.S. Antarctic Program. Its support force includes active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard, as well as Department of War civilians and attached non-DOW civilians. The operation runs primarily from Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Station, with MSC-chartered ships making the challenging voyage annually since 1955.
MSC oversees operations for about 140 civilian-crewed ships that resupply Navy vessels at sea, execute specialized missions, preposition combat cargo worldwide, provide a range of support services, and transport military equipment and supplies to deployed forces.
