Breaking free
Effort to rescue trapped researchers in antarctic had left those on Chinese ship on ice
The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, broke through heavy Antarctic floes on Jan 7 and headed for open water. It had been blocked by a 1-km long iceberg after its crew used a helicopter to rescue 52 passengers from the Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy and take them to the Australian supply ship Aurora Australis. The Russian ship has been stranded since Christmas Eve. Ice floes near Xuelong were up to 4 meters thick, and the ship's crew needed to wait patiently for the right time to extricate the vessel. Some research on Xuelong continued, and staff on board found other ways to while away the time.
| Jan 3: Xuelong was blocked as it tried to depart after rescuing crew members from the Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy. Photos by Zhang Jiansong / Xinhua |
| Jan 5: Xuelong's predicament gives scientists plenty of time for reading. |
| Jan 5: Ma Long, a member of the research team, checks data. |
| Jan 2: Xuelong's crew used a helicopter to evacuate the first group of passengers from the Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy to the Australian ship Aurora Australis. |
| Jan 7: Xuelong breaks out of the ice and sails in clear waters. |
(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/10/2014 page4)
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