Antarctic rescue operations complete
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says that all vessels recently trapped in the Antarctic ice have now broken free.
It says that both the Akademik Shokalskiy and the Xue Long are no longer in need of assistance. The Akademik Shokalskiy will now proceed to Bluff in New Zealand while the Xue Long will continue its research mission in Antarctica.
AMSA has expressed its thanks to all of the participants involved in the rescue effort that emerged following the Akademik Shokalskiy getting trapped in ice in Commonwealth Bay on Christmas Day.
In total five ships were involved in the multi-lateral cooperative effort – Akademik Shokalskiy (Russia), L’Astrolabe (France), Xue Long (China), Aurora Australis (Australia) and USCGC Polar Star (United States of America).
The national Antarctic programmes and other agencies of France, China, Australia, Germany and the United States of America were all engaged in the rescue operation.
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