The following is a news release from a friend, Ken (LA7GIA), on the next activation of Bouvet Island, in the South Atlantic. Probably one of the most remote places on earth, and these guys are going just so we radio amateurs can make a brief contact with them to tick it off our list of countries/islands worked.
3Y0K Bouvet
3YØK DXpedition to Bouvet Island, 1st February 2026
– Where we will stay up to 3 weeks around the island
– Team of 18-24 operators
– Budget $1,675,000
We are pleased to announce the completion of a major milestone by having signed a contract with ICETUGS https://icetugs.com/ that will take us to Bouvet Island in February 2026. ICETUGS, an Iceland based company, has an excellent track record in providing services for expeditions, cargo and fuel supplies, tugging, as well as rescue and camp setup in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. We also report the signing of the helicopter contract with the Cape Town based Ultimate Aviation. This group will supply us with a helicopter, two pilots and a mechanic for this project. Their crew have broad experience in offshore operations across Antarctica, Marion, Gough and da Cunha Islands, which includes boat to shore, sling and hoist operations associated with police force, military, and private projects. This year they celebrate 10 years of operation in Antarctica 2015-2025. We are confident the helicopter crew and the vessel will make a big difference for us in activating Bouvet Island.
We will depart from Cape Town February 1st 2026, and the DX-pedition is scheduled for 36 days. We intend to stay around the island for more than 21 days, which will provide us with enough time to wait for good conditions to land the team and all the equipment. The leadership have previous experience from landing at Bouvet Island in 2023, and together with the entire team are prepared and committed to re-activate Bouvet Island. We obtained the helicopter permit 6 months ago, and with the 3Y0K license in hand we have all the approvals necessary to go onshore.
Our first deposit of $450,000 will be paid on January 20, 2025. Given the overall budget of $1,675,000, we teamed up with a small private group to share the costs. Our team wishes to use this opportunity to thank all the clubs, associations, and foundations, as well as individuals who have already provided us with their support. Going to such remote places would not be possible without such generous contributions. Meanwhile, we invite those who haven’t done it yet to visit our website at www.3y0k.com and consider making a donation using the respective button or directly via PayPal donate@3y0k.com to help us offset some of our costs.
We are grateful to NCDXF for supporting our expedition. There will be two grants totally up to $200,000. The first will be a downpayment of $100,000. The second will be a dollar for dollar match up to $100,000. The match will be a challenge to the clubs and hams that donate prior to the DXpedition. Please help us meet this target.
You can follow our plans at www.3y0k.com or through our trusted media news The Daily DX and EA1CS DX info. You can contact us at admin@3y0.no or through our media officer James KB2FMH.
We are also seeking more operators. Those interested should contact us at admin@3y0.no.
Our Peter 1 DX-pedition is on track, as we have received the landing permit from NPI, and we will sign a contract with ICETUGS to take us there in 2027. We will provide more information at a later stage.
Thank you,
73, Team 3Y0K
