MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker frees luxury cruise ship trapped in Antarctic sea ice

The operation took place while Polar Star was deployed under Operation Deep Freeze, supporting U.S. scientific and logistics activity in Antarctica

A high-end expedition cruise vessel, the Scenic Eclipse II, received assistance from the heavy icebreaker USCGC Polar Star after becoming beset by dense sea ice in the Ross Sea in mid-January, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

In an official release, the Coast Guard said the cruise ship contacted Polar Star at about 11 p.m. local time after getting stuck. The icebreaker circled the vessel twice to break up the ice and then escorted it roughly four nautical miles to open water. No injuries were reported.

Insane visuals!

A luxury cruise ship got trapped in thick, solid ice near McMurdo Sound..Antarctica's most ice-dense stretches

The Scenic Eclipse II vessel was unable to move for hours.. it contacted the US Coast Guard Polar Star

The Polar Star circled the stranded… pic.twitter.com/SXOruU22Ge

— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) January 30, 2026

The operation took place while Polar Star was deployed under Operation Deep Freeze, supporting U.S. scientific and logistics activity in Antarctica. The Coast Guard noted the assist coincided with Polar Star’s 50th anniversary in service, describing the cutter as the world’s most capable non-nuclear icebreaker.

The operator, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, downplayed the incident, saying the ship was “never in need of rescue services” and that coordination with Polar Star helped both vessels manage shifting pack ice conditions safely and efficiently near McMurdo Sound.

The episode comes as Antarctic cruising expands. It has been reported rapid growth in visitor numbers to the southern continent over recent decades, increasing operational exposure in remote waters where sea ice can change quickly. Reuters has also detailed U.S. efforts to grow its icebreaker fleet—an issue made more pressing by the limited number of polar-capable cutters available for sustained missions.