New Zealand Reports Potential Explosive Chemicals at Shackleton and Scott Huts, Plans Removal Next Summer

New Zealand reported to Antarctic Treaty nations last month that chemicals inside Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Hut at Cape Royds and Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Hut at Cape Evans were assessed in 2025 as potential explosive hazards due to possible picric acid crystals, picric acid solution and peroxide crystals.

The report does not specify the quantity of the substances or the types of containers holding them. Shackleton's hut was built in 1908 and served as the base for the Nimrod expedition that reached within 180 kilometres of the geographic South Pole in 1909.

Scott's hut was erected in 1911 and was the starting point for the expedition in which Scott and four colleagues reached the South Pole 34 days after Roald Amundsen's team and died on the return journey to Cape Evans. Both huts are managed by New Zealand and have undergone restorations in recent decades.

Hundreds of tourists on cruise ships and expeditioners from nearby research stations visit the sites each year.

The huts and their surrounds are designated as Antarctic Specially Protected Areas. Under Antarctic Treaty rules, up to 2,000 people are allowed at the sites each year, with a maximum of 40 people in the area and eight inside the huts at any one time, all accompanied by a trained guide. Mitigation measures include warning signs and temporary barriers such as furniture and ropes.

Ceisha Poirot, Antarctica New Zealand's general manager of policy and environment, said New Zealand officials planned to assess and potentially remove the chemicals last summer but were prevented by sea ice conditions. Another attempt is scheduled for next summer.