SEATTLE (KONP) — The US Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker will depart Seattle this weekend and begin its annual journey south to the icy seas of Antarctica.

The Polar Star makes the trip every year to cut a path through ice up to 20 feet thick to maintain supply lines for our country’s science stations.

The Coast Guard mission allows refuel and resupply ships to reach McMurdo Station, the largest station of the U.S. Antarctic Program.