India's Bharati Antarctic Station:Salzgitter steel defies the Antarctic cold

The construction of India's Bharati Antarctic Station, which includes 134 containers, began early in November. The containers are encased in sandwich elements manufactured with plates from Salzgitter Flachstahl.
 
After a trial assembly, the containers were shipped from Antwerp to Cape Town. Together with further material, they were then taken from Cape Town to East Antarctica where the polar station is now being erected.

With these steps, the fascinating project is entering the next phase. India's National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) awarded KAEFER Construction GmbH the contract for the planning, design and construction of the polar station in March 2011. A total of 134 containers for the station have been equipped in Duisburg Harbor since May 2011, with the work covering everything from the insulation, construction and technical equipment to a complete sleeping area with cabinet and bed. A 47-member KAEFER team has been in Antarctica since early November to erect the station. Five months in ice and snow and far from home over Christmas and New Year's - constructing a polar station is a challenge for all individuals involved. To make things a little bit easier, Advent calendars, Christmas presents, fitness equipment, table tennis equipment and table footbal were packed for the construction team along with the tools and machines.

The research station weighs around 1,000 tons and has a base area of some 2,000 m². The station will be erected during the Antarctic summer from November to March, and is expected to be commissioned in April 2012. Up to 25 people at a time will then be able to work at the completed station.