Sailors removed 3 tons of garbage from Antarctica (10 photos + 1 video)

Royal Navy sailors have done their part to keep Antarctica clean and safe. In the presence of local residents - penguins - the crew of the icebreaker HMS Protector collected 3 tons of garbage.





For the first time since 2017, the team returned to the island of Brabant to continue collecting debris left behind by the expedition in the 1980s.



Leaving HMS Protector, 29 crew members headed ashore in Zodiac boats.

Brabant is an uninhabited island in the northwest of Antarctica, where scientific expeditions were carried out in 1983-1985. However, the scientists left behind a lot of debris, most of which was frozen.





The team collected everything from ropes and scaffolding to jars of cream and spice racks.



Since its discovery, the island of Brabant has been visited only six times. Its only permanent inhabitants are penguins and seals. It is estimated that more than 20,000 seals live here, with elephant seals being the most numerous.







Lieutenant Commander Hannah Lee, who also took part in the work seven years ago, said: "We were delighted to clean up and preserve the natural beauty of Antarctica."



"I was on the team that carried out the first cleanup. Of course, it was interesting to see how much snow had melted during this time and how many things were exposed. Unfortunately, we were not able to remove all the garbage due to icing, but we made the island as safe as possible for wild animals," Lee shared.

The chinstrap penguins are definitely glad that people have left their island. These adorable creatures fall asleep up to 1,000 times a day and need 11 hours of rest.



A recent study of Antarctic waters found that levels of microplastic pollution are now similar to those found in other regions of the world.