| CNN | - |
(CNN)
-- A Chinese icebreaker heading to free a polar expedition vessel
trapped in an Antarctic ice floe got stopped by the ice and weather, its
captain told CNN.
Chinese icebreaker stalled en route to stranded ship
updated 2:57 PM EST, Fri December 27, 2013
Morale high on ship stuck off Antarctica
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Second rescue ship says it's two days from stranded research vessel
- Chinese icebreaker expected to arrive first but has been stopped by ice and storm
- The stranded research vessel is carrying tourists and scientists studying climate change
- The 74 people aboard had a "great Christmas" while at a frozen standstill, leader says
The Chinese government
ship Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, was 6 nautical miles away from the
stranded Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, Capt. Wang Jiangzhong
said.
Due to bad weather and
ice conditions, the Xue Long may take another two days to get to the
trapped research vessel with 74 passengers and crew members on board,
Wang said.
"Right now we are waiting
for winds to blow ice away so we can move closer," he said. "The
current ice condition is exceeding our capabilities to break through
further."
The captain acknowledged
his ship may need help from two other icebreakers headed to the area if
conditions deteriorate. At the same time, Wang noted the Xue Long has a
helicopter on board to provide any emergency assistance to the trapped
Russian vessel.
Ships headed to ice-trapped vessel
"We are in continual
communication with the (stranded) ship," he said in a satellite phone
call with CNN. "I think it's at least a form of emotional relief for
them to know we are nearby to help. We know that they (passengers) are
all doing well on that ship."
The Chinese icebreaker as
well as the French vessel Astrolabe and an Australian ship, the Aurora
Australis, were heading toward the trapped research ship. The Aurora Australis is also two days from the Russian ship, its captain, Murray Doyle, told CNN on Friday.
China's State Oceanic
Administration said the Xue Long sailed through an intense cyclone to
reach the Akademik Shokalskiy sooner.
Meanwhile, spirits were high Friday aboard the Akademik Shokalskiy.
"The vessel is fine,
it's safe and everyone on board is very well," expedition leader Chris
Turney, a professor of climate change at University of New South Wales
in Australia told CNN. "Morale is really high."
It got stuck in the ice on Monday night -- 15 days after setting out on the second leg of its research trip.
According to Turney, the
ship was surrounded by ice up to nearly 10 feet (3 meters) thick some
100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont D'Urville, about 1,500
nautical miles south of Hobart, Tasmania.
On Christmas morning, the ship sent a satellite distress signal after conditions failed to clear.
The crew had a "great
Christmas" despite their situation, Turney told CNN earlier. He said
crew members have used the delay to get more work done.
"We've just kept the team busy," he said.
The expedition is trying
to update scientific measurements taken by an Australian expedition led
by Douglas Mawson that set out in 1911.
The expedition to gauge the effects of climate change on the region began
November 27. The second, and current leg of the trip, started December 8
and was scheduled to conclude with a return to New Zealand on January
4.
Turney said the ship should still be back in New Zealand on time.
CNN's CY Xu, Tom Cohen and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.
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