Kanoo Africa, a segment of Kanoo Shipping—a division of Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo—has been nominated to provide logistics and shore support for the Weddell Sea Project.

The Weddell Sea Project is an expedition that aims to locate the ‘Endurance’ which was trapped in the ice during Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1915). 

The expedition team has chartered the ‘SA Agulhas II’ which was built in 2012 in Finland. The Polar Class 5 vessel is one of the largest and most modern research ships anywhere in the world, able to break through ice of a meter thick at five knots. Kanoo Africa was chosen for this project to provide support in Cape Town for the mobilization of the vessel ‘SA Agulhas II’.

The expedition party departed from Cape Town on the 5th of February and shall return to the city in March this year. For this specific project, Kanoo Africa will be responsible for clearing and transporting specialized equipment and cargo that will be loaded onto the SA Agulhas II; providing fuel supplies; husbandry services such as people movements, hotel bookings, COVID-19 screening and testing for the team; and providing local procurement and shore support.