Helicopter Rescue For All Passengers Aboard Antarctic Research Ship 168
Posted
by
timothy
from the who-pays-for-all-that-rescuing? dept.
from the who-pays-for-all-that-rescuing? dept.
The BBC reports (with video) that all aboard the ice-trapped MV Akademik Shokalskiy have been rescued by helicopter, after more than one icebreaker attempt to reach the vessel directly proved too challenging. Also at the New York Times, which reports "The twin-rotored helicopter, based on a Chinese icebreaker, the Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, flew several sorties across miles of packed ice to pluck scientists, tourists and journalists from a makeshift landing zone next to the marooned MV Akademik Shokalskiy research vessel."
Re:But don't worry (Score:5, Informative)
The only reason they went on a ship and not on a helicopter in the first place was because it would have been wastefully expensive to do so.
No currently existing helicopter has the range needed for a mission like that. Their position is not within reach by helicopters stationed on land, the helicopter that rescued them is stationed on an ice breaker.
Re:LOL (Score:5, Informative)
So I was watching this whole thing on the news and they never mentioned once that this expedition was meant to show the melting ice and such in hopes of showing the effects of global warming on the icepack.
I'd suggest that you change the news outlets that you read/watch. Plenty of places reported the aim of the scientific experiments.
Research ship - Bah humbug! (Score:2, Informative)
There's about as much research in that ship as in the Japanese "whale research" fleet that for some mysterious reason needs to test and re-test the deliciousness of whale meat every year..
It's a damn 'eco tourist' (i.e. green-washed) cruise. Not to mention the fact that, being a Russian ship, they're probably dumping toilet water and bilge oil directly into the sea..
I bet the taxpayers are happy about their tax dollars going to rescue this group of clowns ;-)
Re:So what happens to the ship? (Score:5, Informative)
It is summer down there now. The ice isn't freezing around the ship. Wind is blowing ice floes into a large pack which has trapped the ship.
Hopefully, as the seasons change, the winds will shift and loosen the ice before winter and an actual freeze.
MV Akademik Shokalskiy (Score:4, Informative)
Classification: Russian register KM ice class
Year built: 1984
Accommodation: 50 berths expedition, 30 crew
Shipyard: Finland
Main engines: power 2x1560 bhp (2x 1147 Kw) Register: Russia
Maximum speed: 12 knots (2 engines)
Cruising speed: 10 knots(one engine)
Bunker capacity: 320 tons