Rescue for Antarctic ice-bound ship under threat
The ship is being used by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
A
rescue mission for a ship stuck in ice in Antarctica is under threat as
reports have emerged that one of the assisting vessels may itself be
stuck.
Fifty-two passengers and four crew members were due to be evacuated by helicopter from China's Xue Long ship as soon as conditions allowed.
However, the Xue Long has barely moved in a day and may be stuck in the ice.
The research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy has been trapped for nearly a week with 74 scientists, tourists and crew.
The ship is stocked with food and is in no danger, the team on board says.
The planned air evacuation required that the two icebreakers in the immediate area - the Xue Long and the Australian Aurora Australis - be positioned close to each other in open water, clear of the pack ice.
However, the captain of the Xue Long has told the Shokalskiy that he is keeping his vessel in a "holding position".
The Aurora Australis, is now understood to be planning to carve through the dense thick pack to assist the Xue Long.
