A cruise ship that became lodged in the ice during a voyage to Antarctica was freed by the US Coast Guard.
On 17 January, the Cutter Polar Star responded the distress calls from the Scenic Eclipse II after the luxury ship became stuck in pack ice whilst sailing through the Ross Sea.
Footage shows the vessel tearing through a sea of ice as it makes its way towards the stranded ship. The Polar Star then circled the cruise, “conducting two close passes to break the vessel free,” the US Coast Guard said.
The cruise ship was then escorted approximately four nautical miles to open water by the Polar Star, the United States’ only heavy icebreaker.
