The SA Agulhas will soon return with the SANAE 49 over-wintering team that has just spent 14 months at SANAE IV, the South African research base in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The SA Agulhas is South Africa's polar research vessel. She has been in service for almost thirty years and is nearing the end of her term of service. The 6,122 gt Agulhas, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1977, is used to service the three SANAP research bases in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica as well as various research voyages. She spends most of her time out of harbour.