Er, wait... come back! Now Chinese ice breaker sent to rescue Antarctic cruise gets stuck - hours after passengers are choppered off

The Xue Long had provided the helicopter that helped with the rescue

But now its crew say they are worried about their ship's ability to escape

Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis on standby to help stranded ship



An Australian icebreaker carrying passengers saved from a ship pinned tight by Antarctic sea ice halted its journey home today amid fears that a Chinese ship involved in the rescue is now also icebound.

The Aurora Australis had been cracking through thick ice toward open sea after a Chinese helicopter yesterday plucked the passengers from a stranded Russian research ship and carried them aboard.

But today, the crew of the Xue Long (Snow Dragon), the Chinese icebreaker that had provided the helicopter, said they were worried about their own ship's ability to escape the ice.

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Role reversal: The Chinese ship Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, which had gone to rescue passengers stuck in an icebound research vessel, is now itself stuck in the heavy Antarctic sea ice

Complex operation: The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) Chinese icebreaker, as seen from Australia's Antarctic supply ship the Aurora Australis, sits in an ice pack unable to make its way back to open water

The end is in sight: The first of the 52 passengers on a research ship trapped in Antarctic ice for more than a week were finally rescued by helicopter after several aborted attempts to evacuate them The helicopter carried the passengers a dozen at a time over approximately five hours Sea ice was preventing the barge from reaching the Chinese icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, so the passengers are instead being taken to an nice floe next to an Australian vessel which will eventually take them to Tasmania The Aurora was told to stay in the area in case the Snow Dragon needs help, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Co-ordination Centre, which oversaw the rescue. She had been about to embark on a journey to drop off the 52 scientists and tourists rescued from research vessel MV Akademik Shokalski at the Australian island state of Tasmania. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Passengers on stranded Antarctic research ship could be... Share this article Share The Snow Dragon, which is at the edge of the ice pack surrounding the Akademik Shokalski, will attempt to push through the ice to open water early tomorrow, when tidal conditions are expected to be most favourable. The Aurora is waiting around seven miles north of the Snow Dragon, said Lisa Martin, spokesman for the marine authority. Authorities have not said what the next step would be if the Snow Dragon became stuck, but it is possible that the Aurora could attempt to break through the ice to help the Chinese vessel. The maritime authority said there was no immediate danger to anyone aboard the Snow Dragon and that the decision to keep the Aurora on standby was just a precaution. But it was yet another problem to hit the highly complex rescue operation of those on board the Akademik Shokalskiy, which got stuck in the ice on Christmas Eve. A helicopter from a nearby Chinese icebreaker flies over the first group of passengers as it comes in to land

Mission is a go! Rescuers leave a helicopter from a Chinese icebreaker after landing next to the ship 'A huge thanks to all': Expedition leader Chris Turney points to a makeshift helipad which the crew created in the ice as he awaits the helicopter's arrival A spot of clear weather yesterday finally allowed the multinational rescue operation after blinding snow, strong winds and thick sea ice forced rescuers to turn back time and again. The twin-rotor helicopter, based on the Snow Dragon, took seven hours to carry the scientists and tourists in groups of 12 from the Russian ship to the Aurora. Earlier, the passengers had linked arms and stamped out a landing site in the snow next to the Russian ship for the helicopter. Helicopter pilot Jia Shuliang told China's official Xinhua News Agency that he had no way of knowing whether the ice could withstand the helicopter's weight. The rescue came in the never-ending daylight of summer after days of failed attempts to reach the vessel. 'I think everyone is relieved and excited to be going on to the Australian icebreaker and then home,' expedition leader Chris Turney said by satellite phone from the Antarctic. Sydney resident Joanne Sim, a paying passenger, wept as she boarded the Australian icebreaker. She said the passengers had spent their time watching films and playing games. 'It really has been an emotional rollercoaster,' she told a reporter from The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper who is aboard the ship.

Stuck: Passengers from the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy link arms and stamp out a helicopter landing site on the ice near the trapped ship 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart, Australia Ship: The rescue operation for the 74 passengers, comprising scientists, tourists and crew on the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, has been plagued by one delay after another since the vessel became stuck

Still smiling: Stranded passengers shelter in a tent lashed to the ship's top deck as they sing a song they wrote, streaming live online to welcome in the new year The 22 crew members of the Akademik Shokalskiy stayed with the icebound vessel, which is not in any danger and has enough supplies on board to last for weeks. They will wait until the ice surrounding the ship breaks up, which could take several weeks, ASMA Emergency Response Division manager John Young said. The cost of the rescue would be carried by the owners of the ships and their insurers, in accordance with international conventions on sea rescues, Mr Young said. Path to freedom: An undated image of the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis, which will eventually carry the passengers to the Australian island state of Tasmania, arriving by mid-January Trapped for more than a week: Ben Maddison and Ben Fisk from MV Akademik Shokalskiy work to place a wind indicator atop an ice feature near the trapped ship Keeping themselves busy: Passengers from MV Akademik Shokalskiy walk around the ice in the Antarctic Any official inquiry into how the ship got stuck would have to be conducted by Russia, he said. The Akademik Shokalskiy, which left New Zealand on November 28, got stuck after a blizzard pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place about 1,700 miles south of Hobart, Tasmania.

The scientific team on board the Russian vessel had been recreating Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's 1911 to 1913 voyage to Antarctica.



