Chinese Icebreaker Snow Dragon
The Chinese icebreaker, Snow Dragon, pictured above, is one of several ships that have been dispatched in attempt to rescue the stranded Russian cruise ship Akademik Shokalskiy which became stuck in ice in the Antarctic.
The icebreaker was trying to eat through a dense ice block in Antarctica to rescue 74 people trapped on a ship since Christmas Eve and came within 7 miles of the trapped Russian ship but had to turn back and retreat after the ice became too thick according to expedition spokesman Alvin Stone. The Snow Dragon had made slow but steady progress before the packed ice became more solid than expected, as thick as 10-feet deep in some places. When the Russian ship became trapped in ice earlier this week, it was only 2 miles from open water but the ice block has expanded and the ship is now more than 13 miles from open water. The ship became stuck after whipping winds pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place. The ship isn’t in danger of sinking and there are weeks’ worth of supplies for the 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board but the vessel can not 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 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 operations. The third icebreaker, Australia’s Aurora Australis has the best chance of cutting through the ice and is expected to arrive on Sunday, Martin said.
“I think we’re probably looking at another 24 hours of twiddling our fingers and waiting for something to happen,” Stone said. Passengers and crew initially had to contend with blizzard conditions, including 40 mph winds but the weather has calmed considerably since then.
You can read my original report on this here: https://fggam.org/icebreaker-ships-racing-to-rescue-russian-cruise-ship-stranded-in-antarctica-for-christmas/
Russian Cruise Ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy