UPDATE: Time to say screw it --> "There is now about 22 km of ice between the ship and open water."!!!

i wonder if they have internet.

RAMMING SPEED!


After more than 11 hours of ramming thick sea ice to rescue the stranded Akademik Shokalskiy, Chinese ice-breaker Xue Long has retreated to open water, leaving the rescue operation to Australian ice-breaker Aurora Australis.

Aurora captain Murray Doyle said it was always possible the ice would be too thick for the Xue Long.

''We were always option B,'' he said. ''We were always going to be sent on until the end.''

Reports from the Chinese ice-breaker and the Akademik Shokalskiy say pack ice in the area is 10/10ths, which means the vessel is surrounded, and some ice floes are between three and four metres thick.

The Aurora could comfortably slice through ice up to 1.35 metres thick, and crash through thicker slabs by reversing and ramming.[/b[

But Mr Doyle was unsure how the ice-breaker would handle ice thicker than three metres. ''It's not what we're built for,'' he said.

[link to www.smh.com.au]

write it him:
[link to vine.co (secure)]

"What will happen to the trapped Akademik Shokalskiy if the international rescue operation can't get through? - video:"
[link to www.theguardian.com]

they are following in Douglas Mawson's footsteps, so first they will eat the ponies, then they will eat the dogs, then they will spend two years in Antarctica with only one survivor.

Who isn't a cannibal. At all. Probably.

This neighborhood has gone to shit...

no. firstly russian crew members will eat all memebers of australian expedition. then their gadgets. thne they will find remains of Mawson expedition warehouse and will calmly wait for them arrive UFOs

Bust coal apart and you get tree and fern fossils.

Since China wants to be a world power, she should mount the rescue. Russia? France? Wrong! It will be the USA that solves the problem...

UNPOSSIBLE!!!

Al Gore sez global warming. The ships should be boiling!

they are really. they are trapped in a giant steam bubble. the ships are really bubble piercers, they just call them ice breakers to trick people!

And black hands...

Something to check out, "operation highjump". What are yoir thoughts?

An Australian icebreaker is closing in on a ship wedged in Antarctic sea ice as part of a second rescue mission to free the stricken vessel.

A group of scientists, explorers and tourists has been stuck on the Russian research ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, about 1500 nautical miles south of Hobart, for the past five days.

Two icebreakers have given up on efforts to push through the thick and dangerous ice floes near Antarctica to try to free the trapped research vessel.

A third icebreaker, Australia's Aurora Australis, is on its way to the ship and is due to arrive about 11pm (AEDT) on Sunday.

It is the last ship in the area that will be able to help.

Source: [link to www.news.com.au]

.... because this is where that ship is headed.

Oh Antarctic. I thought the ships were stuck up north.

Oh dear. I hope these people will make it through. I recently watched a documentary on Ernest Henry Shackelton and this really freaked me out!

Business Insider ‏@businessinsider 21 m
Two Journalists Are Still Stuck In Antarctica, And They're Tweeting What It's Like [link to read.bi]

Agence France-Presse ‏@AFP 29 min
#BREAKING: Russia says most of the passengers stranded on a ship off Antarctica will be evacuated by a Chinese helicopter

Yes passengers gone so that the scientist can do other things.
Maybe the Chin-heli will drop OFF something too ....



xxxK

and at the moment then in plans attempt to free ship by efforts of USA icebreaker "Polar Star"

They are not real scientists on board when you look into them.

guess they want to be home with their families - don't blame them and wish them well -

but WHAT a mess for algore's crew.

Please share your findings with us :D

Names and details pleazzzzzzze







xxxK

Re-BUMPING my post from the other day.
I called it.....that ship is DOOMED.

why does china have an ice breaker there?

things goin' bezerk?

They too, were trying to get the ship free.
....but the ice is over 10ft thick now....no chance of that.

Apparently they are staying now too in open water because they have a helicopter on board to rescue the people.
Kiss that ship BUH BYE though.

that is a long way from china

2-5000 miles