Summary.

The objectives of this phase of the CRP operation, namely to transport equipment and vehicles from SB to CR, to commission the CR Camp, to build a cold porch on the CR Hut, to organise the storage area at CR and to prepare for the second ship off-load, were all successfully achieved.

The environmental impact of this set-up phase of the Project was minimal. The 'fuel dump' of some 200 drums of JP8 and Jet Al had survived the winter well with no signs of leakage or damage. All refuelling of vehicles and buildings during this phase was carried out on the sea ice from a dedicated Hagglunds sledge set up with fire extinguishers and field fuel spill kits. There was only one minor fuel spill on the sea ice. This was cleaned up and the contaminated snow returned to SB. Vehicles were able to operate around the storage area at CR without causing any ground disturbance because of the good snow cover.

The use of a helicopter and GPS for route reconnaissance saved valuable time and wear and tear on vehicles.

The Project Manager and Science Support Manager always recognised there was a lot of work to do in this phase. This may not have been fully appreciated in the early pre-season planning and so a lot was asked of those at CR in terms of long continuous work days. It was, therefore, unfortunate that on return to SB there was criticism of this effort on the grounds that 'normal' (SB hours?) work hours and days were not adhered to. The important lesson to be learned from this 'difference of opinion' is that CRP is in fact different from NZAP's normal small-field operations and allowances must be made accordingly.