Antarctica Pier Replacement Scheduled

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is moving ahead with plans to rebuild the pier at Palmer Station, its research facility on Anvers Island, Antarctica. The U.S. Antarctic Program’s primary contractor, Leidos, which heads the Antarctic Support Contract (ASC), has signed Pacific Pile & Marine of Seattle, WA, to lead the construction effort. The project is the first critical step of a broader upgrade planned to make the research station more efficient and improve science capacity.

The existing 50-year-old pier has exceeded its design life and is in need of frequent repairs to maintain its integrity. Replacing it with a modern design will reduce the required maintenance and ensure safe and efficient operations for years to come.

Pacific Pile & Marine has begun ordering supplies and will transport the majority of construction materials to Palmer Station on a barge departing Seattle in austral spring 2021. Once it arrives at Palmer Station in early November, construction will begin in full and is scheduled to conclude by July, 2022.

The new pier will be more than three times larger than the current one. Measuring 80 feet at its widest and 118 feet long, it will extend farther out from the station into deeper water to allow the mooring of larger ships.