Schmidt Ocean Institute research ship's Uruguay expedition put on hold due to equipment malfunction

California-based research organisation Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) has confirmed that a scheduled research expedition off Uruguay had to be postponed after a technical issue was identified on its vessel Falkor (Too).

SOI said the vessel had already departed Montevideo for its "Visualising the Deep off Uruguay" expedition but was forced to return to port after its A-frame suffered a malfunction in the early days of the voyage.

In a statement, SOI explained that the A-frame suddenly ceased functioning while it was being raised. No one was injured in the incident, which the institute described as "very rare."

SOI Project Coordinator Leticia Burone said that the A-frame was a critical piece of equipment as it would be used in at least one of the 32 research sites included in the now-postponed expedition off Uruguay.

SOI said that it hopes to have the A-frame repaired upon Falkor (Too)'s return to Montevideo in order for the expedition to resume "with minimal impact."