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1st LD: Australian-flagged fishing boat heads home after Antarctic ice drama

Xinhua, February 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

An Australian-flagged fishing boat freed from ice in Antarctica has reached open water and is heading home, the New Zealand maritime rescue agency said Monday.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), which is organizing the rescue, said the Antarctic Chieftain, with a crew of 26, had been under escort by U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker CG Polar Star for three days after being freed.

The 63-meter fishing boat, which became trapped after damaging three of the four blades of its propeller, called for help on Wednesday and was freed at the weekend.

The Antarctic Chieftain was now heading to its home port of Nelson, at the top of New Zealand's South Island, under its own steam, said a statement from the RCCNZ.

It had rendezvoused with New Zealand fishing boat Janas, around 40 nautical miles (75 km) clear of the ice and the Janas would accompany it for about two days as its performance in open water was assessed.

It was currently traveling at around 7 knots (13 km per hour) and had around 2,400 nautical miles (4,445 km) to travel to Nelson, which could take up to around two weeks depending on the weather.

The Polar Star had resumed its voyage home to Seattle.

RCCNZ search and rescue mission coordinator Dave Wilson said the operation to free the vessel from the ice had been challenging.

"The crew of the Polar Star and the U.S. Coast Guard have done an outstanding job and we'd like to thank them all for their efforts. They've worked around-the-clock in extreme conditions to bring the Antarctic Chieftain to safer waters," he said.

The Polar Star reached the Antarctic Chieftain early on Saturday and after breaking the ice around the stricken vessel, it deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle to assess the extent of the propeller damage.

The icebreaker then cut a path through the heavy ice and towed the Antarctic Chieftain through the ice pack.

Some 13 of the Antarctic Chieftain's 26-member crew are New Zealanders.

The fishing boat's hull was not damaged, and there had been no spill of oil from the vessel. Endi