Akademik Shokalskiy: Antarctica Ship Rescue Vessel Snow Dragon Now Stuck


The Akademik Shokalskiy apparently doesn’t have any luck since the Antarctica ship rescue just had a new ironic twist: the Chinese icebreaker ship called the Snow Dragon is stuck itself!

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the fact that the Akademik Shokalskiy became stuck in ever-thickening ice is ironic itself since some reports claim the expedition scientists are “global warming alarmists” who used to claim the ice should have melted away by now due to climate change.

The Antarctica ship rescue is actually being undertaken by several icebreaker ships from various nations. A second Australian icebreaker ship called the Aurora Australis came within miles of the stranded Russian vessel, and at one point the crew thought they were about to be rescued, but the worsening weather kept them at bay.

The backup plan from the start was always to use the helicopter from the Snow Dragon to make the rescue attempt. While the transfer to the Aurora Australis was successful, they apparently did not account on the Snow Dragon becoming stuck in the ice. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the Chinese icebreaker “will attempt to maneuver through the ice when tidal conditions are most suitable during the early hours of January 4, 2014.” And it’s not like this isn’t the first time the Snow Dragon became stuck during the rescue operation.

Greg Mortimer, one of three expedition leaders, says being rescued by the Aurora Australis came with mixed emotions:

“I was immensely relieved for the people under my care. But leaving the Shokalskiy and its 22 Russian crew on Thursday had been tough. It was very sad. I’ve known that ship for a very long time. In a sense we’ve left [the crew] behind and to their own devices.”

The 52 people rescued from the Akademik Shokalskiy are estimated to arrive in Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania around the middle of January.

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