UPDATE: So much for that…
Sea ice conditions are now likely to delay today’s planned rescue of passengers from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. http://t.co/snGYZnqmNM
— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) January 2, 2014
And now it is apparently on again
AMSA is awaiting confirmation that the Antarctica rescue operation has begun.
— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) January 2, 2014
See video below.
Aurora Australis has advised AMSA that the 52 passengers from the Akademik Shokalskiy are now on board.
— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) January 2, 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_13rQBXKa0A
7.30am AEDT: 2nd January 2014
Rescue operations likely to commence shortly in Antarctica
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Australia) was advised this morning by the MV Akademik Shokalskiy that weather conditions have improved in the area and rescue operations are likely to commence shortly by helicopter.
Wind in the area is now down to 10 knots and visibility has improved. Weather conditions are expected to remain favourable over the next 36 hours.
The helicopter on board the Chinese flagged vessel Xue Long will be used to rescue the passengers from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.
This rescue will be a complex operation involving a number of steps and subject to factors such as weather.
RCC Australia has been advised that all 52 passengers will leave the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. All 22 crew members are expected to remain with the vessel.
The passengers will be rescued by helicopter in groups of 12 and will be initially transported to the Xue Long. The rescue is expected to be undertaken in a total of seven flights. The first five flights will rescue passengers and the remaining two flights will transfer luggage and equipment.
Each return flight is expected to take about 45 minutes. The journey will cover a distance of about 12 nautical miles between the MV Akademik Shokalskiy and the Xue Long. The helicopter component of the rescue operation is expected to take at least five hours dependent on weather conditions.
The Aurora Australis will then use its barge to transfer all 52 passengers on board their vessel. The barge can take up to 22 people at a time. The journey between the Xue Long and the Aurora Australis is a distance of about two nautical miles.
RCC Australia continues to coordinate the incident and is in regular contact with all vessels involved and continues to monitor the situation. The vessels involved are also in close contact with each other via VHF radio.
The search and rescue operation commenced on Christmas morning AEDT after the Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in the United Kingdom received a distress message via satellite from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. The distress message and subsequent coordination of the incident was passed to RCC Australia, who is the responsible search and rescue authority for this area.
Media Note: Media are advised to keep an eye on AMSA’s Twitter feed @AMSA_News for the latest information relating to this rescue. Details for facilitating audio grabs and vision will be issued in due course.
Click to access 02012014AkademikShokalskiyUpdate9_Media_Release.pdf
I’d say the Captain and Crew of the Akadimik Shokalskiy will be dang glad to be rid of the “well-healed parting” upper-class garbage spoiling the deck.
I suspect that the “need” for a one or two luggage flight is that under terms of the Law of the Sea, abandoned property and goods are considered … abandoned … and can be acquired by anyone near by without charge. Another indication of the “well-healed” upper class trouble onboard.
Oh yea. Not the “Love Boat” by any means but could he the “Drunk Boat” for sure.
For Chris Turney I’d say a career ender!
Just read THIS, “Professor Turney and his UNSW colleague Professor Chris Fogwill are leading a team of 60 scientists, including meteorologists, marine ecologists, oceanographers, ice-core and tree-ring specialists.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-25/mawson-data-more-important-than-ever-to-new-expedition/5115748
“Tree-ring specialists” in Antartica!
“Ice-core ‘scientists'”! Where is the @ur momisugly@##%!** drill rig!
“meteorologists” … well we know damn well that that is a lie!
I’d say Turney is the “Bang Ding Ow, Bang Ding Ow, Ho Rei Fuk!” “scientist” of the year 2013!
The sea giveth … and the sea … taketh … no one knows which and when will occur!
Sad to say but we do not need nor want “people like this screwing up” all around the globe.
There! I case my Lot!
Since our media and politicians are essentially just left wing fascists, all of this stuff will just go down the memory hole. A month from now it will not even have happened.
Maybe some lawyers will keep the case alive until they are paid off. After that, nada.
Your hearsay sounds reasonable. It speaks of a lack of training. Going out on the ice is dangerous and the hazards are well understood. http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/sealing_disaster.html Somebody should have trained the penguin counter. If the penguin counter wasn’t trained, the fault falls on the shoulders of the expedition’s leader. If the penguin counter had been trained, the fault lies with him or her.
Who knew it was so dangerous counting penguins?
this Alok Jha piece was posted by Guardian at 00.30 AEST, so doesn’t necessarily over-ride the AMSA press release. as only CAGW sceptic websites have created any interest in the ironies of this story, it’s mostly sceptics commenting. anthony/KUSI story among the topics being argued about.
2 Jan: Guardian: Josh Halliday & Alok Jha: Antarctica ship rescue plan foiled by weather
Passengers prepare to spend another night on icebound Shokalskiy as attempt to airlift them by helicopter is postponed
Several attempts to evacuate the Shokalskiy using icebreakers have been thwarted by the dense sea ice, which is up to 5 metres thick in some places.
Passengers were told a second attempt to rescue them by helicopter would take place on Thursday if there was a break in the heavy rain, strong winds and cloud, which foiled the earlier effort to reach the ship by air…
If the plan to rescue them by air fails, a large American icebreaker is about 10 days away and should be able to break through the dense ice floes that thwarted the Chinese and Australian ships…
COMMENT BY Hooopla: In reality, the Chinese ship has moved quite a distance today, though it seems to have stopped moving at around 5pm.
I’m amazed how little worthwhile reporting there is from this: the ship appears to be stocked with journalists who have satellite phones.
But no worthwhile information about the situation, no articles about the people on board and what they are up to, no real evidence that they have a clue about the situation they are in.
Surely the Guardian could have chosen more effective journalists, couldn’t they?
NEXT COMMENT by expcten: Sat phones don’t always work. I’ve been with someone when their satellite phone could not get a connection.
Technology is wonderful stuff – when it works.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/01/antarctica-ship-rescue-plan-foiled-shokalskiy
u can always expect an “expecten” to jump in with a defense. what is shocking is how the media on board have pretty much muzzled the paying passengers
the Swedish company who booked the passengers:
The cost for participating starts from US$ 15,150. Further details may be found here.
http://expeditionsonline.com/more-information/news/join-spirit-mawson-expedition/
As if the number of penguins on a particular floe on a particular day has any meaning whatsoever.
Paddle N. Fish says:
January 1, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Polar Star is still six days or so away even at max speed(@ur momisugly 18 kn). Only going 9.4 kn right now.
More time to drink.
The rescue has been delayed. The helicopter is too heavy to land on the australian ship
Gamecock,
Correct me if I am reading something into your name that I shouldn’t be but great game today.
Charleston, SC
They only had enough alcohol left to make a new years’ toast. Now they are stuck on a ship with 22 russian sailers who have no booze. Talk about a sobering experience
Any Captain worth his salt ALWAYS has a personal stash of booze.
Periwinkle says: January 1, 2014 at 5:54 pm
The rescue has been delayed. The helicopter is too heavy to land on the australian ship
Glad they figured that out…as a former helo control officer on a US Frigate, landing on a deck that cannot support your weight could have been a fatal mistake.
The Co2 alarmists lives were saved by a combination of airplane fuel and diesel? Ha! That’s the exact opposite of the narrative coming from their mouths… but it seems to be true. Maybe they’ll publish a headline now: “How Fossil Fuels saved my life”. (nah, not likely me thinks)
Although it’s great they are safe and being flown out, it is unfortunate that the Co2 alarmists didn’t also end up burning a few tons of coal too, just to put an exclamation point on their ironic idiocy.
The big Hero in this story is the energy that saved their lives. And here’s a hint: it wasn’t solar power, wasn’t hydro, nor Geo-thermal… It wasn’t ethanol or bio-diesel, etc, etc…
Good old fashioned, cheap, fossil based gasoline and diesel! Yeehaw! (Again, too bad coal wasn’t in there somewhere, it would be too funny)
The call to “abandon ship” gets the scientists/tourists/media out, but still leaves the crew/ship stuck in the ice.
First things first, I guess.
I’m not sure the Polar Star will be needed for the rescue, but they may have been diverted to free the research vessel. The U.S. Navy and the Chinese Navy have recently been at odds over territorial disputes between several nations and China. In a recent incident, a Chinese tank landing ship cut across the bow of a U.S. Destroyer, resulting in a near collision.
In light of Obama’s support for AGW dogma, it’s not hard to imagine him granting a request for assistance from the Austrailians. The world is watching this fiasco and a sunken vessel will only add insult to injury. The Chinese will undoubtedly, be delighted to obtain a marker from the Austrailians for their efforts
A reduction in speed could be caused by several factors; the most intriguing of which is an underway replenishment of fuel to offset fuel burned while transiting at dash speed. Gas turbines are notorious gas hogs.
Rescue operations delayed by ice conditions
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Australia) has been advised this morning that sea ice conditions in the area are likely to delay today’s planned rescue of passengers from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.
It is now likely the rescue will not go ahead today.
AMSA understands that current sea ice conditions prevent the barge from Aurora Australis from reaching the Chinese vessel Xue Long (Snow Dragon) and a rescue may not be possible today.
The Xue Long’s helicopter is unable to land on the Aurora Australis due to load rating restrictions. It is not safe to land the helicopter next to Aurora Australis at this time.
The preferred and safest option at this stage is to ultimately transfer the passengers onto Aurora Australis.
All passengers on board the MV Akademik Shokalskiy are currently safe and well. The preferred option is to wait for conditions that will allow the rescue to be completed in a single operation to reduce unnecessary risk.
Alternative measures to complete the rescue operation are now being investigated by AMSA and the ships involved.
This rescue is a complex operation involving a number of steps. Operations in Antarctica are all weather and ice dependent and conditions can change rapidly. The priority is to ensure the safety of all involved.
RCC Australia continues to be in regular contact with all vessels involved and continues to monitor the situation. The vessels involved are also in close contact with each other via VHF radio.
The search and rescue operation commenced on Christmas morning AEDT after the Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in the United Kingdom received a distress message via satellite from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. The distress message and subsequent coordination of the incident was passed to RCC Australia, who is the responsible search and rescue authority for this area.
Media Note: Media are advised to keep an eye on AMSA’s Twitter feed @AMSA_News for the latest information relating to this rescue.
Yes, even a country boy knows that a good sea captain has an emergency stash. A toast to the Russkies aboard! I wish I could hand them my Christmas spirits.
News just In,
Xue Long requests assistance,helicopter rescue delayed.
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/helicopter-rescue-delayed-as-second-ship-trapped-in-ice-20140102-306yj.html
2GB out of Sydney has reported that the helicopter rescue has been called off due to sea ice conditions.
John says at Jan 1, 2:34:
“I wish them good luck.”
I wish them karma weather.
Apparently Chris Turley brought his wife and daughter along for the ride. Ouch.
It is to some degree politically incorrect to display “Family Values,” and care so much for your wife and daughter that you include them in a “scientific” expedition. Unless they have degrees in the science you are studying, it makes your study look a bit frivolous, and like a junket.
“Family Values” are politically incorrect because a true internationalist feels it is racist if you care for your own, or feel “Charity begins at home,” or care more for those you know than those you’ve never met.
However Chris Turley apparently flunked internationalism 101, because he brought his wife and daughter along rather than a couple of third-world orphans. Strangely, this alone, among his many shortcomings, makes me like him just a little.
But I’d hate to be in his shoes.
Steve from Rockwood says:
January 1, 2014 at 4:32 pm
I think that is what is referred to as “whistling past the cemetery”.
————————————————————-
Ha ha yes, or to extend the old Abraham Lincoln joke ……
………. Other than the incident Professor Turney, how were the experiments ?
D.I. that’d be oops! then…
If the photo of the Chinese vessel is current from Aurora Australis, I’m guessing that they tried to move and got themselves jammed in. The Aurora Australis is just drifting (same lump of ice off the bow for 4+ hours) – be interesting to know if the Aussie vessel’s drift is into or out of a jam…. doubt they want to volunteer that maybe 🙂
Right Time: If you were that Russian captain would YOU share your private stash with these idiots?
http://www.amsa.gov.au/media/documents/02012014AkademikShokalskiyUpdate10_Media_Release.pdf (latest report from amsa)
Sea ice conditions preventing the barge reaching the Chinese vessel……also the deck on Aurora not strong enough for the Chinese helicopter to land (answers one of my questions).