Australian fishing boat back in open water after tow through Antarctic ice
|
Version 0 of 1. A stricken Australian-flagged fishing vessel is back in open water after being towed through ice for three days by a US icebreaker in Antarctic waters. The 63-metre boat was damaged when it was beset by ice while fishing for toothfish about 1,700km north-east of McMurdo Sound last Tuesday night. The US coastguard icebreaker Polar Star reached it about 7am on Saturday, cleared ice around it and hooked up a stern tow. They reached open water on Monday and New Zealand’s rescue co-ordinator Dave Wilson said the Antarctic Chieftain would now head for Nelson, about 2,400 nautical miles (4,445km) away. It will be accompanied for the next couple of days by the New Zealand fishing boat Janas, which will assess how the Antarctic Chieftain is travelling. Wilson said the crew of the Polar Star, which was now resuming its voyage home to Seattle, had done an outstanding job. “They’ve worked around the clock in extreme conditions to bring the Antarctic Chieftain into safer waters,” he said. The trip to Nelson could take up to two weeks. The fishing boat’s hull is not damaged and no oil has spilled. The Antarctic Chieftain is owned by Tasmanian company Australian Longline and skippered by New Zealander Rob Climpson. The crew of 26 includes 13 New Zealanders. |