Ports & Harbours of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
YearMaps maps 8 harbours on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, in 2 countries and territories. 5 are written up in full below, and every harbour is listed with its depths, tidal range and the largest ships it takes.
The Southern Ocean circles Antarctica, where there are no permanent ports; ships supply research stations from anchorages and ice piers during the short summer. Sealers and whalers worked these waters from the nineteenth century, and South Georgia's whaling stations, Grytviken and Stromness among them, supplied much of the world's whale oil in the early twentieth century.
- Harbours
- 8
- Countries
- 2
- Written Up
- 5
Map of the Ports of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Blue dots are the harbours of the World Port Index; tap or click one to open its entry. Use the layer panel to add trade routes, rivers and historical borders.
Harbours of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in Detail
The 5 harbours of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean with an encyclopedia article, each with its figures from the World Port Index.
Melchior Harbor
Very Small harbour · Antarctica
Melchior Harbor (64°19′S 62°59′W) is a small harbour in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica, formed by the semi-circular arrangement of Delta, Alpha, Beta, Kappa and Gamma Islands. The name, derived from the name of the island group, was probably given by Discovery Investigations personnel who roughly surveyed the harbour in 1927. The harbour was later surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Melchior Harbour (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Harbour size
- Very Small
- Channel depth
- 49.4 m
- Anchorage depth
- 5.5 m
- Country
- Antarctica
- Coordinates
- -64.3200°, -63.0000°
Ellefsen Harbor
Very Small harbour · Antarctica
Ellefsen Harbour (60°44′S 45°3′W) is a harbour lying at the south end of Powell Island between Christoffersen Island and Michelsen Island, in the South Orkney Islands. It was discovered in the course of a joint cruise by Captain George Powell, a British sealer, and Captain Nathaniel Palmer, an American sealer, in December 1821. Shortly afterward, it was briefly occupied by Sam Pointer. The name first appeared on Powell's chart published in 1822.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ellefsen Harbour (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Harbour size
- Very Small
- Channel depth
- 34.7 m
- Anchorage depth
- 5.5 m
- Country
- Antarctica
- Coordinates
- -60.7300°, -45.0300°
Port Lockroy
Very Small harbour · Antarctica
Port Lockroy is a bay forming a natural harbour on the north-western shore of Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic base with the same name, situated on Goudier Island in this bay, includes the most southerly operational post office in the world. The base was left unstaffed from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though the museum house remained open to individual visits. On 4 October 2022 it was announced that a team of four women had been chosen to return to open the base for the summer 2022/23 season.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Port Lockroy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Harbour size
- Very Small
- Channel depth
- 12.8 m
- Anchorage depth
- 20.1 m
- Tidal range
- 3 m
- Country
- Antarctica
- Coordinates
- -64.8200°, -63.5000°
More about Port Lockroy
History
The bay was discovered in 1904 and named after Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, who assisted Jean-Baptiste Charcot in obtaining government funding for his French Antarctic Expedition. The harbour was used for whaling between 1911 and 1931. During World War II, the British military Operation Tabarin established the Port Lockroy Station A on tiny Goudier Island in the bay, which continued to operate as a British research station until January 16, 1962.
In 1996 renovation of the Port Lockroy base buildings was begun by staff from the British Antarctic Survey, funded by the Government of British Antarctic Territory.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Port Lockroy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Port Lockroy: Key Facts
| Established | 1944 |
|---|---|
| Operator | UK Antarctic Heritage Trust |
Facts from Wikidata Q2104764 (CC0).
Andersen Harbor
Very Small harbour · Antarctica
Andersen Harbor (64°19′S 62°56′W) is a small bay in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica, formed by the concave west side of Eta Island and the north end of Omega Island. It was charted by Discovery Investigations in 1927 and probably named after Kapt. Ola Andersen of the factory ship Svend Foyn, following the usage of Norwegian whalers that had operated in the area. The harbor was surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Andersen Harbor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Harbour size
- Very Small
- Channel depth
- 5.5 m
- Anchorage depth
- 12.8 m
- Country
- Antarctica
- Coordinates
- -64.3200°, -62.9300°
Prince Olav Harbor
Very Small harbour · South Georgia and the Islands
Prince Olav Harbour is a small harbour in the south west portion of Cook Bay, entered between Point Abrahamsen and Sheep Point, along the north coast of South Georgia.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Prince Olav Harbour (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Harbour size
- Very Small
- Anchorage depth
- 5.5 m
- Country
- South Georgia and the Islands
- Coordinates
- -54.0300°, -37.1500°
More about Prince Olav Harbor
History
The whaling station was initially a floating factory site, a shore station being set up in 1916. The whaling station continued as a shore station until March 1931 and then was closed. The name was in use as early as 1912 and was given by Norwegian whalers for Olav V of Norway.
The wreck of the ship Brutus remains, semi-submerged, where she was deliberately beached to serve as a coaling station. The ship was built in Glasgow in 1883 as the Sierra Pedrosa, and measured 1,686 gross registered tons. After serving as a coal hulk at Cape Town, she was towed to South Georgia in about 1912. Brutus Island in the harbour is named after it.
Background
Throughout the 19th century, South Georgia was a sealers' base and, in the following century, became a whalers' base. Prince Olav Harbour is the site of one of the seven main whaling bases established on South Georgia. Prince Olav Harbour was the location of a former Norwegian whaling station operational dating from 1911.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Prince Olav Harbour (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All Harbours of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
8 harbours, the largest first by the index's harbour size. Channel depth and tidal range set the physical limit on which ships can call.
| Harbour | Country | Size | Channel | Anchorage | Tide | Largest vessel | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melchior Harbor | Antarctica | Very Small | 49.4 m | 5.5 m | — | — | |
| Ellefsen Harbor | Antarctica | Very Small | 34.7 m | 5.5 m | — | — | |
| Port Lockroy | Antarctica | Very Small | 12.8 m | 20.1 m | 3 m | — | |
| Admiralty Bay | Antarctica | Very Small | 5.5 m | 5.5 m | — | — | |
| Andersen Harbor | Antarctica | Very Small | 5.5 m | 12.8 m | — | — | |
| Port Foster | Antarctica | Very Small | 5.5 m | 9.1 m | — | — | |
| Prince Olav Harbor | South Georgia and the Islands | Very Small | — | 5.5 m | — | — | |
| Stromness Harbor | South Georgia and the Islands | Very Small | — | 5.5 m | 2 m | — |
Countries with Harbours on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
More Seas and Coasts
See every sea, grouped from North America to Oceania & Antarctica, on the world ports index, or the voyages that crossed these waters on the famous sea voyages map.
Antarctica & Southern Ocean: Quick Answers
- How many ports are there on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean?
- YearMaps lists 8 ports and harbours on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, from the World Port Index of the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Small fishing harbours and private terminals outside the index are not counted.
- Which countries have ports on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean?
- Antarctica (6) and South Georgia and the Islands (2).