An icebreaker carrying an expedition for the Japanese base on Antarctica made a port call Tuesday at Fremantle on the west coast of Australia to refuel and restock.
The 42nd Antarctic observation party, aboard the icebreaker Shirase, docked, as scheduled, at the pier before 9 a.m., where they were welcomed by officials of the Japanese Consulate General in Perth.
After going through landing procedures, the party loaded fresh food and other goods onto the ship.
The party, led by Yoichi Motoyoshi, left Tokyo on Nov. 14. It is scheduled to head Sunday for Showa base in the Antarctic, where members will observe sunspots as well as conduct other research.
The entire team consists of 60 members and five observers. Of the 60, 20 are a summer mission scheduled to return in March 2001 and 40 will winter there, staying until March 2002.