Rescue of icebound Antarctic ship faces setback
Dec 28, 2013 | Phys.org
A Chinese icebreaker
that was en route to rescue a ship trapped in Antarctic ice was forced
to turn back on Saturday after being unable to push its way through the
heavy sea ice.
The Snow Dragon
icebreaker came within 7 miles (11 kilometers) of the Russian ship MV
Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been stuck since Christmas Eve, but had
to retreat after the ice became too thick, said expedition spokesman Alvin Stone.
The Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been on a research expedition
to Antarctica, got stuck Tuesday after a blizzard's whipping winds
pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place. The ship
wasn't in danger of sinking, and there are weeks' worth of supplies for
the 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board, but the vessel cannot
move.
Three icebreakers, including the Snow Dragon, have been trying to
reach the ship since Wednesday. France's L'Astrolabe made it to the edge
of the sea ice
surrounding the ship on Saturday, but called off its mission after it,
too, failed to break through, said Lisa Martin, spokeswoman for the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the rescue.
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