Chinese ship used in Antarctic rescue blocked by vast iceberg
An one-kilometre-long iceberg is blocking the exit route of the Chinese icebreaker that went to the aid of a Russian research vessel in Antarctica
A Chinese icebreaker that went to the aid of a Russian ship stuck in heavy floes in Antarctica has now itself become trapped by ice, officials said Saturday, amid anger about the impact of the rescue on research.
The Xue Long, which on Thursday used its helicopter to ferry dozens of passengers on the stranded Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy to the safety of an Australian vessel, has been unable to free itself.
“Xue Long has confirmed to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) it is beset by ice,” the authority said in a statement.
The Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, came tantalisingly close to cutting through heavy ice to reach the Shokalskiy a week ago but had to abandon its attempt once it realised it could not break through. It has hardly moved in recent days.
Xinhua news agency, which has reporters onboard the Xue Long, said the ship’s passage had been blocked since Friday by a drifting, one-kilometre long iceberg.
Captain Wang Jianzhong said the constantly changing position of the massive iceberg, which sometimes came as close as 1.2 nautical miles to the ship, and ice floes was making conditions complex, Xinhua reported.