MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Huge iceberg spotted floating towards New Zealand

It is believed to have split off the Ross ice shelf a decade ago (Australian Antarctic Division, Murray Potter/AP Photo)

A giant iceberg twice as long as a US Navy nuclear powered aircraft carrier has been spotted floating towards New Zealand.

Australian seal experts noticed the 700 metre long, 350 metre deep slab five miles off the coast of Macquarie Island, which lies halfway between Antarctica and New Zealand.

“I've never seen anything like it - we looked out to the horizon and just saw this huge floating island of ice,” fur seal biologist Dean Miller said.

It is likely to eventually melt into dozens of smaller parts which could be dangerous for ships in the area. Glaciologists believe the iceberg could be one of the slabs which split from a major Antarctic ice shelf in 2000 and blame climate change.

Other chunks have drifted away from Antarctica but are unusual for them to travel so far towards warmer waters.

“It's rare to make a sighting like this - it's certainly impressive-looking,” Neal Young from the Australian Antarctic Division explained.

“If the current trends in global warming were to continue I would anticipate seeing more icebergs and the large ice shelves breaking up.”

“The iceberg is likely to be part of one of the big ones that calved from the Ross Ice Shelf nearly a decade ago,” Dr Young said.

“Throughout the year several icebergs have been drifting slowly northwards with the ocean current towards Macquarie Island,” he said.

“We know there are also a few more icebergs 100-200 kilometres to the west of the island.”

It is likely the iceberg will break up and melt rapidly as it heads further north.