Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov of the Far East Shipping Company (FESCO) Sunday got stuck in Antarctic active drift ice zone has reached open water on Friday and set a course for Argentinean port Ushuaia, said representative of FESCO's special fleet department to RIA Novosti.
Kapitan Khlebnikov belongs to Far East Shipping Company and is cruising along Antarctic peninsula in Weddell Sea near Snow Hill Island. The vessel entered drift ice zone on Sunday and had to lower speed. Shipowner FESCO says the situation is standard and there is no danger to the crew and voyagers. There are over 100 passengers aboard the icebreaker; mostly, they are British tourists and BBC camera crew shooting the film Frozen Planet.
"Tide is running out; the ship managed to go on cruise and get out from "ice captivity" at last", specified the interviewee.
The icebreaker is something 780 miles from Argentinean port Ushuaia where it will land tourists.
"That's about 2.5 days of fair speed sail in normal meteorological conditions", said the source.