After four days of being trapped by ice in the Antarctic, the ship has now broken free from dense ice.
A change in wind direction loosened the ice floes packed around the vessel, providing an 80-meter stretch of water for the Xuelong to navigate in. The ship is now heading away at a speed of 8 kilometers per hour. Experts say Xuelong may soon escape the floating ice zone.
Chinese research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong sails in the open waters in Antarctica, Jan. 7, 2014. Trapped China icebreaker Xuelong made successful escape through heavy sea ice at 18:30 Beijing time on Tuesday. [Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong] |