Three icebreakers were successively unable to rescue the russian ship, itself built in Finland in 1982 and "fully ice-strengthened " for arctic and antarctic seas.
After the failed attempts of a chinese and a french middle-class icebreaker to reach the Shokalskiy, a stronger and powerful australian ship, the Aurora Australis, was called from Casey, where it was anchored for the usual summer supply, to help release the russian / australian team and crew:
But no ship is prepared for zero visibility. A dense blizzard stopped the Aurora Australis even before it reached the frozen seas, just 10 miles of the Shokalskiy. No rescue could be done in such conditions.
Ah, technology. But yes, there are other means - helicopters can at least rescue the scientific team and some tourists aboard, leaving the crew to maneuver as the ice recedes.
Good luck and be safe, guys. Have a nice New Year's Eve, meanwhile !
