Oceanwide Expeditions has started her first Ross Sea voyage aboard Ortelius on 16 January and has completed a successful landing on one of the planet’s most remote places; Peter I Island (68.47 S, 90.35 W).
As of 2005, it is estimated that only 600 people have ever set foot on the uninhabited volcanic Island. Oceanwide Expeditions used her helicopters in order to make a successful landing. Peter I Island is located in the Bellingshausen Sea at ca. 450 kilometres from Antarctica.
The island was discovered by Russian explorer Fabian von Bellingshausen in 1821. He named the island after Tsar Peter I of Russia. More than a century later (1931) Norway claimed the island (but Peter I Island forms part of the Antarctic Treaty) and an automatic meteorological station was installed in 1987. The volcanic island is a breeding ground for southern fulmars and Arctic terns, Adelie and chinstrap penguins have also been reported as well as numerous seals.
Ortelius will sail for the next 6 days in the Amundsen Sea, heading for the Ross Ice Shelf, where we intend to offer a helicopter landing!
