A day in the life of the … station engineer
… or as a seafarer on an iceberg
07:05 My alarm goes off – but the refreshing and motivating ringtone (“mountain summit”), carefully selected months in advance, just isn’t what it used to be. Time to hit the snooze button…
07:14 My alarm goes off again.
My morning routine starts with raising the shutters five centimetres, just to be sure … “hello darkness, my old friend” or “good morning, Antarctica during the Polar Night”.
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So far, every day I’ve managed to resist the temptation to simply stay lying down, just like the snow outside. The first destination of the day is only a few steps away: the shared washroom, which features five reliably working sinks with mirrors, two showers and a bench; I’m spoiled for choice.
In summer, the bench is a welcome way to get through long waits and to swap stories on different snoring techniques or other observations and lessons learned from the night before.
Today, the international Day of the Seafarer, it’s a very quiet morning, and I continue without undue delay to the working and dining area one deck below.
07:31 The kitchen and mess hall are already brightly lit, the early risers are – due to their jobs or personal motivation – already up and about, coffee has already been brewed. Armed with a full cup of java, I make my way two doors down to the Engineering Office, which serves as our headquarters for all things engineering. From here, you can see at a glance all the most important data on the station’s systems – and it looks like there weren’t any problems or worrisome changes in the night.
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Before breakfast, one of us two technicians makes a brief sweep of all vital systems, gives them a pep talk to keep running as usual and, if needed, adjusts them.
We pay special attention to our CHPs (combine heat and power units), which supply the station with electrical and thermal energy alike. Next comes the wastewater filtration system, thanks to which we see the filtrate water produced by the system once again, as the water used to flush our toilets. ; )
Diesel is pumped from the station’s internal reservoir into the daily tank, so that during breakfast and for the rest of the day, we don’t have to sit in the cold and dark.
Thanks to the thermal energy produced by the motors and the seemingly endless supply of snow right at our doorstep, our snowmelt is always well stocked, which ensures that the backup tank is full, and that we have an uninterrupted supply of drinking water.
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08:14 – 08:43 Breakfast with rose hip tea, rolls with cheese, sausages, and reconstituted scrambled eggs. Not bad at all!
The ÜWI team uses the time after breakfast to plan and coordinate the next few days. The morning is also used for small maintenance and repair tasks, and for waste management. All waste produced at the station is compacted, stowed away in a container as return cargo, and loaded onto the next ship to visit us.
12:30-13:30 Lunch
Rested and with a full belly, the next stop is the oil depot, where I continue with the inventory, make sure we have enough supplies, and prepare the orders for the next delivery of lubricants and other consumables needed to keep the generators and vehicles up and running.
16:04 Fire alarm! Thankfully it’s only a drill to make sure we’re ready, just in case. Everything goes according to plan, with no casualties. ; )
17:45 End of the fire drill, review and discussion.
This is followed by the daily ÜWI meeting, where there are no casualties, either.
Time to call it a day!
18:31 Everyone on the ÜWI team gathers to have supper together. Some are already there and waiting restlessly, which could have something to do with the upcoming European Football Championship match and the fact that some of our teammates are English.
19:00 The England vs. Slovenia match begins. Not a particularly exciting one – and not just for the neutral observers among us. When the referee blows the whistle, we’re all relieved it’s over.
21:00 The day is drawing to a close and some of us have already gone to bed, while for others the analysis of the match continues.
22:01 I go back up one deck and enjoy a short break in the station sauna before visiting the washroom and ending the day back where it began.
23:04 Good night, Antarctica!
