An ice harbor is a more or less year-round ice-free bay on ice shelves that can serve as a natural harbor . However, the ice harbor can be rendered unusable for a long time due to the ice calving of the surrounding ice shelf. These ice harbors are usually the only accessible points for icebreakers to deliver the supplies for Antarctic stations, as the edge of the ice shelf protrudes even higher in the area.
The term Eishafen ( English Iceport ) was first from the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names ( US-ACAN proposed), as the name of indentations in the ice shelf, whose shape can be changed to anchors to attach, to the top of the ice shelf plate reached by ramps.
In 1973, US Navy engineers constructed the first floating ice pier at McMurdo Station , which is Antarctica's southernmost port. Since then, the importance of the ice harbors has decreased, but it has not disappeared.
