Cruise Ship Spends Christmas Stuck in Ice Off Antarctica

Fifty-seven people spent Christmas aboard a cruise ship that has become stuck in the ice in a remote region off the coast of Antarctica and rescue vessels are at least two days away, Australian maritime officials told ABC News.
The Russian-operated Akademik Shokalskiy, an ice-strengthened vessel built in 1984 for oceanographic research, became stuck in the ice about 1,500 nautical miles from Hobart, Tasmania, and issued a satellite distress call early this morning, Andrea Hayward-Maher of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

"We've been in touch with the master of the vessel, who says they are beset by ice," spokeswoman Hayward-Maher said. "They are basically trapped or stuck in the ice and can't move."

Cruise Ship Spends Christmas Stuck in Ice Off Antarctica


The people aboard think they have enough provisions to wait out their rescue, and are reported to be in high spirits.

I hope it remains that way. The ship is too far from land to send aircraft or normal rescue vessels. Let's hope this doesn't turn into another tragedy.

This is one of my greatest fears about taking a cruise... something disastrous happening.
I'd love to go on one, but with more and more stories like this one coming in, it makes me weary. Even the fact that people can get away with things out at sea that they couldn't country-side scares me, because of certain laws not applying.

I wish all of them a safe return soon.

They're probably in high spirits because the spirit supply is high.

It's summer down there; how the heck are they 'beset by ice'?

IF they were hoping for a white christmas they got one! Still gotta be alot better than the poop ship cruise!

reply to post by sled735


Update:

news.yahoo.com...

And, just now, I heard on the NBC news on t.v. that the rescue ships are still around 13 miles out, and having a very hard time cutting through the ice.

They said the people on the ship may have celebrated too early when they spotted the rescue ship. This could take quite some time!!

reply to post by signalfire

They're probably in high spirits because the spirit supply is high.

It's summer down there; how the heck are they 'beset by ice'?

I got my hemispheres mixed up. Because the tilted axis makes it so.

The ship has two passenger decks, with dining rooms, a bar ...

If i was on that ship i know where i'd be right now. And all my drinks ... 'beset by ice'.

talklikeapirat
reply to post by signalfire

 

They're probably in high spirits because the spirit supply is high.

It's summer down there; how the heck are they 'beset by ice'?

It's winter in the southern hemisphere now. Because the tilted axis makes it so.

The ship has two passenger decks, with dining rooms, a bar ...

If i was on that ship i know where i'd be right now. And all my drinks ... 'beset by ice'.

I'm sorry,
I thought it was the 7th day of winter up here in the northern hemisphere.
Maybe I'm confused.

reply to post by badgerprints




No it's i who is confused. infused more so. The icy christmas eggnog...

Gotta love austral summers, lots of ice.

Any updates on this ship getting out?
The last I saw mentioned on the news was last week, or the end of the prior week, and they were still trapped.