Japan Icebreaker Summoned to Free Australian Vessel
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MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian government has called in a powerful Japanese icebreaker to free a research ship trapped by Antarctic ice for more than a month.
The Nella Dan is trapped in Amundsen Bay by a 12-mile-wide ice floe, although it is floating in clear water and is not in danger, Science Minister Barry Jones said.
Jones said Australia asked Japan for help after the Australian icebreaker Icebird was forced to abandon a rescue attempt when 16-foot-high ice crushed its hull and piled over deck railings.
The Japanese icebreaker, the Shirase, is five times larger than the Icebird and has twice the icebreaking power, Jones said. It is expected to reach the Nella Dan in 12 days.
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