Winds too weak for Snow Dragon's breakout attempt

The Chinese research vessel and icebreaker Snow Dragon, stranded in Antarctic ice, warmed up its engines and tried to broaden an "ice-breaking runway" yesterday, preparing for a possible westerly wind favorable for breaking out.

However, interrupted by an unfavorable southeast wind and a decreasing tide, the broadening only lasted for 40 or 50 meters.

The icebreaker became trapped in thick sea ice last Friday, just a day after its helicopter evacuated all 52 passengers from the stranded Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy to the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis.

Weather reports forecast the prevailing southeast wind would gradually turn into a northerly wind yesterday and become a class 3 or 4 westerly wind at night.

Though a little weak, the westerly wind had been expected to provide favorable weather conditions for the vessel to escape from the ice and another attempt will be made later.

But it is uncertain whether the westerly wind will be strong enough to push away the drifting floes currently surrounding the ship, especially on its starboard. The floes there are 3 or 4 meters thick — three times thicker than the vessel's maximum ice-breaking capability.

Second, no one can be certain how the wind will influence the iceberg in front of the ship, which is sometimes as close as 2.22 kilometers from the vessel.