Winds too weak for Snow Dragon's breakout attempt

Members of Chinese Antarctic exploration team release the sounding balloon to forecast weather change, in Antarctica, Jan. 6, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Third, it is hard to tell how the high-pressure weather system brought by the westerly wind will affect the sea area in which the icebreaker has been trapped.

In order to ensure that the vessel does not become fully frozen into the ice, the iceboat created a kilometer-long "ice-breaking runway" by sailing back and forth, while waiting for favorable weather conditions to break through.

Wang Jianzhong, the ship's captain, said it has been surrounded by swiftly-amassed floes due to lasting strong winds in the past few days, with the thickest ice layer reaching 3 to 4 meters. The area in which the ship is trapped has rapidly drifting icebergs and floes, and is some 21 kilometers away from the nearest ice-free waters.

"It is difficult for the vessel to break the ice in such an area with one iceberg ahead and another moving closer slowly from behind," Wang said.

The Snow Dragon could get out of trouble as long as it can break through the thickest floe zone some 3.7 kilometers long, Wang said, but it is important for the icebreaker to find an opportunity. The vessel currently has food supplies to last until April and fresh water supplies for a month.

The Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy became trapped on Christmas Eve, and the Snow Dragon's onboard helicopter rescued the stranded passengers last Thursday, before its own movement was blocked by a kilometer-long iceberg drifting northwest.