DEFF to bid farewell to the SA Agulhas II on its Voyage to Gough Island
The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) will bid farewell to the SA Agulhas II and the Gough 65 expedition team, as they depart on this year’s Relief Voyage to Gough Island on the 2nd of September 2019.
The Department’s Deputy Director General of Environmental Programmes, Dr Guy Preston, will lead the team that constructed the test hut which will be stationed on Gough Island during the annual relief voyage in September 2019. The hut is mainly comprised of wood-plastic composite material, poplar and gum wood, produced from the invasive biomass cleared under the Department’s Working for Water programme.
The aim is to test the potential of using these materials for future island infrastructure, and particularly the scope to withstand the harsh weather conditions on Gough Island, and potentially Marion Island and Antarctica.
South Africa’s use of Gough Island is primarily to operate a full year weather observation station, one of three important weather stations globally. The quality of South African and international weather forecasts relies on the availability of data inputs from the Gough Island region. Gough Island, is a volcanic island rising from the South Atlantic Ocean to heights of over 900 metres above sea level with an area of 91 km².
Members of the media are invited to join us as we bid farewell to the Gough65 expedition team.
Details of the farewell programme is as follows;
Date: 2 September 2019
Venue: East Pier Shed, East Pier Road, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town
Time: 11:00
To RSVP:
Siziphiwe Maxengana
Tel: 021 814 8064
Email: smaxengana@environment.gov.za
Gaopalelwe Moroane
Cell: 063 697 9001
Email: gmoroane@environment.gov,.za
For media queries:
Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
