Chinese Ship Stuck in Antarctic Ice After Rescue of Russian Vessel

[HRK]

Chinese Ship Stuck in Antarctic Ice After Rescue of Russian Vessel | World | RIA Novosti

A helicopter from the Xue Long Chinese icebreaker unloads rescued passengers from the ice-bound Russian ship, Akademik Shokalskiy, in East Antarctica, in this handout courtesy of Fairfax's Australian Antarctic Division

MOSCOW, January 4 (RIA Novosti) – A Chinese icebreaker that played a key role evacuating people this week from a Russian vessel stranded in the Antarctic ice pack is now itself trapped in dense ice, maritime authorities said Saturday.

The crew aboard the Xue Long ship have food supplies for several weeks and are not in immediate danger, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said, citing the captain of the Chinese vessel.

The AMSA said that the Xue Long doesn’t need assistance for now, but that the Australian ship Aurora Australis was ordered to stay in open water nearby on Friday night as a precaution.

The Chinese ship participated in rescuing 52 passengers on Thursday from the Akademik Shokalskiy, a Russian cruise vessel which had been stuck in the Antarctic since December 24.

A rescue helicopter from the Xue Long flew the passengers to the nearby Aurora Australis, leaving the Russian ship’s crew of 22 on board to wait for warmer weather, when the ship can make its own way out of the ice.

The helicopter rescue was a last-ditch effort after several rescue attempts by the Xue Long and other vessels were also foiled by the heavy ice pack.

The team of scientists and tourists on the Akademik Shokalskiy had been retracing a famous Australian Antarctic Expedition from 101 years ago. Expeditions Online, the tour agency that organized the journey, described the ship on its website as "fully ice-strengthened."

 

[OCguy]

Reports are that US Coast Guard has been asked for assistance by Russian, Chinese, and Australian authorities.

 

[armchairPrivate]

The United States Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star left Sydney yesterday afternoon, but the Chinese and the Russian icebreakers will be stranded off Antarctica for at least another week according to the latest news.

It's hard to imagine for a ship albeit an icebreaker to break through 10 foot thick ice. If the vessel goes too slow, it doesn't have the momentum to crack the ice. If it goes too fast, the ice might punch a giant hole in the hull and ends up like Titanic.

 

[Counter-Errorist]

The United States Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star left Sydney yesterday afternoon, but the Chinese and the Russian icebreakers will be stranded off Antarctica for at least another week according to the least news.

It's hard to imagine for a ship albeit an icebreaker to break through 10 foot ice. If the vessel goes too slow, it doesn't have the momentum to crack the ice. If it goes too fast, the ice might punch a giant hole in the hull and ends up like Titanic.

The Polar Star is the U.S. Coast Guard’s only active heavy polar ice breaker. The ship is 399 feet in length, its maximum speed is 18 knots, it is able to continuously break six feet of ice at three knots, and able to break 21 feet of ice backing and ramming. The Polar Star is specifically designed for open-water icebreaking with a reinforced hull and special icebreaking bow.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star to assist vessels in Antarctica

 

[Solomon2]

U.S. Icebreaker On The Way To Rescue Ships Trapped In Antarctic
by KRISHNADEV CALAMUR

January 05, 2014 10:53 AM

The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star, seen here in 1999, has been sent to help free Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy and Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, which are gripped by Antarctic ice.
U.S. Coast Guard Handout Photo/Reuters /Landov

A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker is sailing to Antarctica to rescue more than 120 crew members still aboard two icebreakers trapped in the frozen continent. That's after the news that 52 scientists and paying passengers trapped aboard one of those vessels — the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy — were on their way home.

The Polar Star, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, left Australia Sunday following requests last week from Australia, China and Russia to assist the trapped icebreakers — the Akademik Shokalskiy and China's Xue Long, or Snow Dragon.

"The U.S. Coast Guard stands ready to respond to Australia's request," Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, said in a statement. "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."

The Polar Star will take approximately seven days to reach Commonwealth Bay, where the ships are stranded, Australia's Maritime Safety Authority said.

As Mark has reported, 52 scientists and paying passengers were ferried last Thursday by helicopter from the stranded Akademik Shokalskiy to an Australian icebreaker nearby. They were told Friday that their voyage to Australia had to be delayed. "The hitch, as Mark wrote, "[was that] the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long — which had assisted in the passengers' rescue, was itself stuck in ice.

"So the Aurora Australis — the ship to which the passengers had been flown — was asked to stay in the area in case its assistance was needed."

But the Xue Long is no longer in distress, and so the Aurora Australis and its passengers are on their way again to an expected mid-January arrival at the Australian state of Tasmania.

Officials said the 101 crew members on the Chinese vessel and 22 on the Russian ship are in no immediate danger.

 

[AhsanAmin]

U.S. Icebreaker On The Way To Rescue Ships Trapped In Antarctic
by KRISHNADEV CALAMUR
January 05, 2014 10:53 AM
The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star, seen here in 1999, has been sent to help free Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy and Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, which are gripped by Antarctic ice.
U.S. Coast Guard Handout Photo/Reuters /Landov
A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker is sailing to Antarctica to rescue more than 120 crew members still aboard two icebreakers trapped in the frozen continent. That's after the news that 52 scientists and paying passengers trapped aboard one of those vessels — the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy — were on their way home.
The Polar Star, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, left Australia Sunday following requests last week from Australia, China and Russia to assist the trapped icebreakers — the Akademik Shokalskiy and China's Xue Long, or Snow Dragon.
"The U.S. Coast Guard stands ready to respond to Australia's request," Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, said in a statement. "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."
The Polar Star will take approximately seven days to reach Commonwealth Bay, where the ships are stranded, Australia's Maritime Safety Authority said.
As Mark has reported, 52 scientists and paying passengers were ferried last Thursday by helicopter from the stranded Akademik Shokalskiy to an Australian icebreaker nearby. They were told Friday that their voyage to Australia had to be delayed. "The hitch, as Mark wrote, "[was that] the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long — which had assisted in the passengers' rescue, was itself stuck in ice.
"So the Aurora Australis — the ship to which the passengers had been flown — was asked to stay in the area in case its assistance was needed."
But the Xue Long is no longer in distress, and so the Aurora Australis and its passengers are on their way again to an expected mid-January arrival at the Australian state of Tasmania.
Officials said the 101 crew members on the Chinese vessel and 22 on the Russian ship are in no immediate danger.

@Solomon2. Thank you for the update. And thanks to US Coast Guards.

 

[Kyle Sun]

Wish they can get out of there safely

 

[xuxu1457]

Wish they can get out of there safely

Latest news, Xue Long moved out from heavy ice area at 18:30 Beijing time 7th Jan by itself, has entered the clearn water area
“雪龙”号冲出重冰区成功突围|雪龙|雪龙号_凤凰资讯