18.05.2026
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Marion Island base to be shut down over fuel shortage

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  • The Marion Research Station.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment says Marion Island will be temporarily shut down and sealed as researchers stationed at the remote South African research base are evacuated back to the country.

The evacuation follows a shortage of specialised polar diesel used to operate generators at the island base.

The department says the SA Agulhas II is expected to arrive at the base on Monday and will return with the overwintering team in just over ten days.

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp says the evacuation decision was taken after delays in securing the specialised fuel required for operations in extreme cold weather conditions.

Aucamp says, “The voyage delays were caused by the unavailability of crucial fuel products that are mixed with normal diesel and are used to create the special polar diesel required to keep the base running within extremely low outside temperatures that would crystallise normal diesel.”

“As we are unsure when these fuel products will be available, we cannot wait any longer at the expense of the well-being of our team. Our people’s lives come first,” Aucamp adds.

The department says the global shortage of specialised diesel additives is linked to supply chain disruptions caused by tensions in the Middle East.

Marion Island, located about 2 000 kilometres southeast of Cape Town, serves as one of South Africa’s key scientific and weather research stations.

The overwintering team includes specialists in meteorology, engineering, medicine and communications, who support South Africa’s Antarctic research programme.

The government says the researchers are expected to return to the island in August once fuel supply challenges have been resolved.

The department says weather conditions will determine the duration of the evacuation operation and the return voyage to South Africa.

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