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
Will the Australians allow these ‘boat people’ into their country?
we will reluctantly accept our own.
Having looked at the first attempt to land the helicopter, I wouldn’t like to land on that ice: while still hoovering, the helicopter sank to the hull in the snow/ice pack. Not directly reassuring about the stability of the ice for a full landing. The next attempt the extra crew did jump out while the helicopter still was hoovering without real landing. That is not the safest way to get people back on board.
I hope the engineers will find a safer place to land the helicopter, or they better stop the whole operation…
Tim Groves –
probably going by this estimate!
National Geographic: Antarctica
The Antarctic covers approximately 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere…
http://education.nationalgeographic.com.au/education/encyclopedia/antarctica/?ar_a=1
Not clear what happened here. Looks like it added five chinese to the number stranded at MV Sokoldsky the flew away again. 😕
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25573096
“One of the aims is to track how quickly the Antarctic’s sea ice is disappearing.”
For Christ’s sake ! We have 30 years of detail satellite measurements showing ice extent expanding, so they are going to pop down and “track” how quickly it is “disappearing.”
Head meet anus …. have a nice stay!
The other aim of the mission is to finally prove that black is white. Something we have “known” for some time but proof has remained elusive.
Is that now to known as the ‘WattsUpWithThat Bay’?
Why don’t they bring hovercrafts to the area? Is it impossible to use them on pack ice?
For those who aren’t following the Guardian live coverage, I would like to draw your attention to this perceptive comment on their webpage:
PimpmasterFlex 02 January 2014 9:31am – Recommended 27
Not my choice of language and a missing comma but an apposite comparison.
Tim Groves –
i would imagine they are talking of southern hemisphere land mass. would that make the 20 percent correct?
The Antarctic is one and half times the size of the lower 48 and one and a half times the size of the continent of Australia. This does not count the sea ice.
The National Geographic article refers to the Antarctic region being about 20% of the Southern Hemisphere but most of this is Southern Ocean and includes islands such as South Georgia.
Findings published on twitter (the tag edited)…:
@ProfChrisTurney dec 30
It’s so warm, it’s actually raining! #thelackofspiritofmawson
–
It was +1C? If so, and if normal average temperature is +5C, I guess it’s raining despite cold air.
Les,
I’ll hazard a guess that the “something we don’t know about” has everything to do with the Long electronic snooping capabilities. She may even perform sub hunting sub tending duties.
Just a hunch.
All 52 people to be rescued are now on the Aurora Australis according to Alok Jha of the Guardian on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/alokjha
I have to say the rescued Antarctic scientists looked distinctly penguin-like walking from the helicopter landing area to the Zodiac next to Australis.
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/antarctica-rescue-of-passengers-on-akademik-shokalskiy-begins-20140102-307mv.html
Its certainly not over yet because we have two ships stuck in the ice and the Australis is currently in some very thick ice extending all the way to the horizon in all directions.
http://images.aad.gov.au/webcams/aurora/14/A140021100A.jpg
http://images.aad.gov.au/webcams/aurora/14/A140021100B.jpg
M Courtney says:
January 2, 2014 at 2:56 am
For those who aren’t following the Guardian live coverage, I would like to draw your attention to this perceptive comment on their webpage:
PimpmasterFlex 02 January 2014 9:31am – Recommended 27
This is just like the Chilean miners rescue.
But with dislikeable hipster knobends.
Not my choice of language and a missing comma but an apposite comparison.
====
The other notable difference being that the miners did not go down the mine to prove there was not copper or gold down there.
I hope the Aurora Australis crew have been viewing Laurence Topham’s videos. Hopefully they will be aware that hipster climate martyrs do not like narrow beds.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/02/antarctic-helicopter-mission-rescue-success
Not a SINGLE WORD about the 22 crew that were left behind on the stricken vessel and will presumably remain stuck awaiting an attempt to free the ship with more powerful icebreakers later. No word of what the plan is on that nor the risk of the hull splitting before they manage to free the ship.
“So long, and thanks for all the fish!” INCREDIBLE.
“So long, and thanks for all the fish!” INCREDIBLE.
#spiritofimalrightjack
I’m sure these (pseudo) scientists will all be expecting a hero’s welcome when the rescue ship arrives in port, with their tree ring and ice core samples, After all, they put themselves in great danger in order to help save the World.
In passing, the only comment on the BBC regarding the rescue was simply that “the scientists have been rescued” nothing more.
M Courtney says:
January 2, 2014 at 2:56 am
For those who aren’t following the Guardian live coverage, …
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Comment has now been removed.
highflight56433 says: @ur momisugly January 2, 2014 at 12:50 am
Yep…all about saving their own skin…leave the crew and others behind.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The captain has to stay with the ship or it is ‘abandoned and can be confiscated as ‘salvage’ An earlier report said he asked his crew and they volunteered to remain with the ship.
However Prof. Christmas Turkey could have been more polite and at least thanked the crew and captain.
So they sat on the ship drank all the beer and stuff, sang and danced, when the booze ran out they pissed off leaving the crew to freeze. What lovely people.
Hmm…I wonder whether, when those clowns have left, the Russian captain will pipe up and tell us what really happened.
However Prof. Christmas Turkey could have been more polite and at least thanked the crew and captain.
They may be tempted to claim that they were intentionally imprisoned by Russian captain ‘climate change denier’