MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentine icebreaker in position to launch Antarctic rescue mission
Three weeks after setting sail from Buenos Aires the Argentine icebreaker ARA Admiral Irizar was today poised to begin breaking through 180 miles of ice to try to free the German supply vessel Magdalena Oldendorff trapped in the ice pack on the edge of Antarctica.
The Oldendorff was caught in the ice just off the Antarctic coast on June 11 at a location some 4.000 km (2.300 nautical miles) due south of Cape Town and 1.500 miles north of the South Pole. At the time it was making its way back to South Africa after spending several months resupplying Russian research stations
The Irizar, which was yesterday 100 miles inside the ever-growing field of drifting ice, is using its two Sea King helicopters to seek a route to the stricken Oldendorff which is trapped at longitude one degree East, longitude 69 degrees South. The Argentine icebreaker is now the only vessel in the area and the last hope to free the icebound vessel after a South African vessel sailed back to Cape Town early last week after airlifting the passengers from the stranded vessel.
The 21.000 ton ice class multi Ro-Ro vessel Magdalena Oldendorff, built in Germany in 1983, is owned by the German Oldendorff Group, and was carrying a crew of 26 and 71 Russian scientists returning from Antarctic research stations.
In a series of long range helicopter flights carried out in late June and early July two South African Navy Oryx helicopters successfully airlifted the 71 Russian scientists from the Oldendorff flying them back to the South African Antarctic Supply ? Oceanographic Research vessel MV SA Agulhas. The helicopters also delivered some 2.000-kg of badly needed supplies to the 26 strong crew of the stranded vessel.
Speaking by radio from the Irizar head of the rescue operation codenamed Operation Southern Cross, Captain Raul Benmuyal explained that the meteorologists and scientists aboard the icebreaker were working with Argentine, US, Russian, German and South African satellite information, trying to establish the best route towards the Oldendorff.
Speaking by radio at a press conference Benmuyal said the Irizar had faced appalling weather and had been forced to make a U-turn and seek refuge off the coast of the South Sandwich Islands last week after running into a ferocious storm. The gale force storm with winds of up to 100 miles per hour and waves of up to 15 meters had severely pounded the 14.900-ton icebreaker producing some minor damage.
According to Captain Benmuyal during the storm three life rafts were lost, ripped from their moorings, and several members of the crew suffered cuts and bruises after being thrown around by the force of the storm. Once in sheltered waters the Irizar was able to ride out the storm.
The Irizar is now at the site from where the second part of this unprecedented rescue operation is to be launched situated at latitude 69º 56'24" South longitude 01º 23' 40" West, approximately 180km due north of the Oldendorff.
Apart from the weather, one of the main problems being faced is the fact that no satellite is currently orbiting the area and thus the information has to be pieced together from the readings from neighbouring areas and information collected by the Irizar and the Oldendorff themselves.
At the moment the icebreaker is operating in extreme conditions with temperatures of minus 23º C with a chill factor of minus 35ºC and east north-easterly winds of 12 knots. There are only four hours of twilight in the area as the Sun is now under the horizon throughout the whole day making both sailing and flying extremely hazardous.
Benmuyal explained that the two helicopters were only flying occasional reconnaissance missions looking for openings in the ice and mapping a route between both vessels but had not yet flown to the Oldendorff.
Benmuyal said he did not want to speculate on when the Irizar would attempt to break through the ice, which he said was currently of a thickness ranging from 70 cm to three meters, but he emphasised that the Irizar's priorities were to get the Oldendorff back into open sea. If that failed the icebreaker would attempt to restock and refuel the vessel so it could get through the winter months ahead and - if all else failed - to evacuate the crew.
While in no immediate danger the pressure of massive blocks of ice being pushed against each other or the Antarctic coastline by winds of over 100 miles per hour.could yet crush the Oldendorff
Built for the Argentine Navy in Finland in the 1970's, the Irizar is the only icebreaker currently available in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the last two decades it has carried out 27 Antarctic campaigns and has taken part in several successful rescue operations in Antarctic waters.
The rescue operation takes place 100 years after Argentine Navy Lieutenant Julian Irizar, after whom the icebreaker is named, succeeded in rescuing a Swedish scientific expedition stranded on Antarctica.
Nicholas Tozer ? Buenos Aires
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