U.S. icebreaker looks to free Russian, Chinese ships
Thomson Reuters
Posted: Jan 04, 2014 10:08 PM ET
Last Updated: Jan 04, 2014 10:11 PM ET
The United States is sending a heavy icebreaker to help free a
Russian ship and a Chinese icebreaker gripped by Antarctic ice, the
Coast Guard said on Saturday.
The Polar Star is responding to a request for assistance from
Australian authorities as well as from the Russian and Chinese
governments, it said in a statement.
"The U.S. Coast Guard stands ready to respond to Australia's
request," Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Vice Admiral Paul Zukunft
said. "Our highest priority is safety of life at sea, which is why we
are assisting in breaking a navigational path for both of these
vessels."
A Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Friday.
The
research ship Akademik Shokalskiy became trapped on Dec. 24 about 185
km east of the French Antarctic station Dumont D'Urville — about 2,800
km south of Hobart, Tasmania. (CBC/Google Maps)
The Snow Dragon ferried the passengers from the stranded Russian ship
to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday. It now had concerns about
its own ability to move through heavy ice, the Australian Maritime
Safety Authority said.
The Russian-owned research ship left New Zealand on Nov. 28 to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of an Antarctic journey led by
Australian explorer Douglas Mawson.
It became trapped on Dec. 24, 100 nautical miles east of French
Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville and about 1,500 nautical miles south
of Tasmania.
During their time on the ice, passengers amused themselves with
movies, classes in knot tying, languages, yoga and photography, and rang
in the New Year with dinner, drinks and a song their adventure.
The Polar Star is 120 metres long with a maximum speed of 18 knots.
It can continuously break 1.8 metres of ice at three knots, and can
break 6.4 metres of ice backing and ramming, the Coast Guard said.
The cutter is cutting short its planned stop in Sydney to help with the mission.
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