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 The Snow Dragon had ferried the passengers from the stranded
Russian ship to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday. It now
had concerns about its own ability to move through heavy ice, the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.
"It will attempt to maneuver through the ice when tidal conditions
are most suitable during the early hours of 4 January 2014," AMSA
said.
The Australian icebreaker carrying the rescued passengers, the
Aurora Australis, will remain on standby in open water in the area
"as a precautionary measure", the rescue agency said.
The Aurora Australis had meant to sail towards an Antarctic base to
complete a resupply before carrying the rescued passengers back to
Australia.
A helicopter from the Snow Dragon carried the 52 scientists and
tourists in small groups from the ice-bound Akademik Shokalskiy to
the Australian supply ship late on Thursday.
The rescue, delayed due to weather and ice conditions, took around
five hours to complete. It had been a "roller-coaster" rescue, said
Greg Mortimer, one of three expedition leaders on the Akademik
Shokalskiy.
"I was immensely relieved for the people under my care," Mortimer,
quoted by the Age newspaper, said after arriving on the Aurora
Australis. He said he was "very sad" to leave behind the Russian
vessel and its crew.
PASSENGERS HAPPY ABOARD ICEBREAKER
"The passengers seem very glad to now be with us and they are
settling in to their new accommodation," Jason Mundy, Australian
Antarctic Division Acting Director, who is on board the Aurora
Australis, said on Friday morning. Mundy said there were enough
rooms for the passengers, and the ship can "look after them well for
the final part of their journey".
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Passengers, mostly Australians and New Zealanders, will probably
arrive in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania around
mid-January. The Akademik Shokalskiy's Russian crew will stay on
board until the ice breaks up and the ship is freed.
The Russian-owned research ship left New Zealand on November 28 to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of an Antarctic journey led by
Australian explorer Douglas Mawson.
It became trapped on December 24, 100 nautical miles east of French
Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville and about 1,500 nautical miles
south of Tasmania.
During their time on the ice, passengers amused themselves with
movies, classes in knot tying, languages, yoga and photography, and
rang in the New Year with dinner, drinks and a song composed about
their adventure.
The Chinese icebreaker got within sight of the Akademik Shokalskiy
on Saturday, but turned back after failing to break through the ice,
more than 3 meters (10 feet) thick in some places.
The Aurora Australis and a French-flagged ship tried to help, but
failed to reach the ship because of strong winds and heavy snow.
(Additional reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney and Susan Heavey in
Washington; editing by Michael Perry and Ron Popeski)
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