“Kapitan Khlebnikov” stuck in ice
November 18, 2009 – 12:36 am“There is nothing abnormal” in the situation with the icebreaker “Kapitan Khlebnikov”, blocked by ice near Antarctica, is not reported in the travel agency that deals with cruise icebreaker in Antarctica.
morning November 16 it became known that Russia’s ice-breaker trapped in the ice and can not continue the voyage.
“Kapitan Khlebnikov” with which the board of tourists (mainly from the UK) and the crew BBC BBC slowly moves to the goal of his journey – Snow Hill Island (Snow Hill Island) near the Antarctic Peninsula, the company said “The club GUIDE Special”.
As reported bbcrussian.com the press service of “Far Shipping Company (FESCO), which owns the ship, the tourists have already managed to see the emperor penguin. Despite the fact that the icebreaker could not approach the shore, tourists were able to fly to the island by helicopter.
“icebreaker” Kapitan Khlebnikov “delayed in Antarctic waters no more than a day. Because of the bad weather he had to stay at the northern tip of the north-eastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, near the island of Snow Hill “, – said the representative of FESCO Tatyana Kulikova. In her view, “nothing abnormal in this situation there”.
“Deviation from the schedule at this time is 24-36 hours” – said bbcrussian.com a tourist company.
Journalists BBC BBC involved shooting the film “Frozen Planet”.
In FESCO reported that the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov ‘is not the first year chartered by various companies for Arctic expeditions .
The purpose of the expedition – an isolated colony of Emperor penguins on the island of Snow Hill.
The island is five days sailing to the south of the Argentine port of Ushuaia (he is the most southerly in the world).
“Antarctic season – from October to March. And the months of November and March – is the extreme months, when weather conditions are most favorable. Now there is a temperature of minus five to plus and wind “, – said the representative of” Travel Club Special “Yaroslav Nikitin.
In October-November in the Antarctic spring, so the” worsening ice conditions can not be avoided, especially at such a strong wind, “says Tatyana Kulikova .
The fact that during the cruise may be delays, the tourists were warned in advance.
As the representative of the tourist company, “specific program is that it is forwarding cruises. They differ fundamentally from the classical cruises and take place in the distant regions of the globe “.
Duration of travel, promise to FESCO, will increase by one to two days:” in the area of mooring operations a lot of ice. For further free of the need to await a change of direction and wind speed. All of this comes. Now the wind speed is not more than five meters per second “.
Weather – only one of the reasons for the delay. “In previous years the court had flown to icebergs. Some of the court sat stranded on the rocks” – said Yaroslav Nikitin.
According to a travel company, the life of tourists is not in danger.
“Hunger is not. People are in full security. For them, the vessel has a team of chefs and restaurant”, – said Nikitin.
According to the head of the press service of FESCO, this trip memorable for tourists – they encountered real difficulties in ice navigation “.
Cost of 11-day cruise to the island of Snow Hill – the abode of a colony of Emperor penguins – worth an average of 15 thousand dollars per person .
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