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
Ahhhh “Nuclear powered ice breaker” It just gets better and better!
I don’t believe the Polarstar is a nuke, I think it is 2 diesel/electric and 1 turbine (75,000 hp for the turbine I believe) and he is not a very good father to put his children in harm’s way – supposed to do the opposite. That makes me think he really thought this trip was going to not be dangerous.
Professor Chris Turney on the expedition as an attempt to deliver empirical science in a debate that has been distract by opinion and (unfounded) belief : http://youtu.be/MFcYQfcU7vY . (h/t Andrew Bolt)
Did you notice the slip of the tongue? “Go with the snot…”
The Polarstar isn’t a nuke – is there another US icebreaker steaming that way? Didn’t think we had nukes
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/icebreakers-list.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/icebreakers.htm
up-to-date from new zealand:
looks like helicopter evacuation has been ruled out indefinitely! plus what does “this time because of sea ice” mean? what was it the other times?
2 Jan: NZ City: Sea ice delays Antarctica rescue bid
The rescue of scientists and tourists who have spent 10 days stranded on a ship trapped by ice off Antarctica has again been delayed, this time because of sea ice…
It is unlikely the helicopter rescue of 52 passengers aboard the Akademik Shokalskiy will go ahead on Thursday and instead plans are being made for a safer transfer directly from ship to ship, Australian maritime officials say…
AMSA says the preferred option is to wait for conditions that will allow the rescue to be completed in a single operation, transferring the passengers directly to the Aurora Australis, to reduce unnecessary risk…
AMSA is also investigating alternative rescue ideas…
Six New Zealanders are aboard the ship…
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=179754&fm=newsmain%2Cnrhl
——————————————————————————–
AMSA News just tweeted:
“AMSA is awaiting confirmation that the Antarctica rescue operation has begun.”
Ref. nuke-powered ice-breaker. My bad. Misread an article. Apologies all round. In mitigation it was 0530 local before coffee.
Simple solution — air-drop some trail mix & water for the activists and leave the real food for the real men – the ship’s crew.
Dear Mr. High Flight,
From your video response to me (?) (I didn’t see any other response…), you were very upset by my question. Please forgive me. Whew! I hope I learned my lesson. That was a bit unnerving, but, if you were offended, it made sense (sort of, shudder). Perhaps, your response was not that, but only {silence}. If so, I hear you. Sorry to have been a pain. Hope all is well.
Take care.
Apologetically,
Janice
ABC news confirmed that tweet and that a helicopter had arrived. Twits keep us informed 🙂
Apparently, the evacuation is underway.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2014/jan/02/antarctic-rescue-gets-under-way-in-pictures
Chinese helicopter arrived at vessel.
http://twitter.com/ProfChrisTurney/status/418619915428327424
And Chris Turney tweets:
The Chinese helicopter has arrived @ur momisugly the Shokalskiy. It’s 100% we’re off! A huge thanks to all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_13rQBXKa0A …
Interesting update within last hour at http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/helicopter-rescue-delayed-as-second-ship-trapped-in-ice-20140102-306yj.html. With good video and audio of current status. Chinese ship now stuck. Posted in the SMH Travel section, of course.
The Polar Star is not nuclear but it can break through ice up to 21 feet thick. That is good if the ice continues to increase. Here is more info on the Polar Star icebreaker ship:
“Polar Star’s three shafts are turned by either a diesel-electric or gas turbine power plant. … Polar Star is able to break through ice up to 21 feet (6 m) thick and steam continuously through 6 feet (1.8 m) of ice at 3 knots (6 km/h).”
I don’t get it. The helicopter dropped off 6 people and left. I thought it was supposed to pick up 12 people?
That chopper should be on floats, it does not like that soft mush.
Wind direction Southerly at 3kts (Dumont D’Urville), so the conditions are better.
Janice! It’s a joke on what is going to happen to idiots who venture into danger without any consideration to the consequences of being stupid.
Otherwise…how do spell relief?
Ans: C H I N E S E H E L I C O P T E R
There is no getting any passengers from the Chinese Ship to the Australian ship at the moment and perhaps for a couple of days or maybe more. What’s the rush? Something we don’t know about?
I just answered my own question:
A Chinese helicopter arrived close to the vessel, bringing in a crew to assess the landing situation.
The aircraft is expected to return within the hour to begin ferrying the first passengers out to another vessel.
Mario Lento says:
January 1, 2014 at 10:16 pm
I don’t get it. The helicopter dropped off 6 people and left. I thought it was supposed to pick up 12 people?
….Best to play it safe with a lighter load.
This guardian article has a bit of an explanation of what is going on:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/02/antarctic-rescue-under-way-akademik
I would say they would like to take the weather window opportunity to get folks to the Chinese ship so as to at least complete stage one of the rescue.
We would need Turney’s confidence about leaving in an hour confirmed by the 6 crew who just arrived. Notice how much the wheels sunk into the snow…while hovering!
Thanks, HighFlight, for letting me know that silence, and not that video, was your answer to my question. Much appreciated. Hope my asking was not in itself offensive. J.