ID :
101237
Wed, 01/20/2010 - 02:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/101237
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean icebreaker on maiden voyage gains on Antartica
ABOARD THE ARAON, Antarctic Ocean, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first
dedicated icebreaker on its maiden voyage to Antartica gained on its final
destination Tuesday, encountering a floating iceberg for the first time in the
second week of its voyage.
The Araon, a 7,487-ton icebreaker and research ship, left Christchurch on the
eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand on Tuesday last week for a
40-day mission.
During the mission, the crew is expected to test the vessel's ability to cut
through ice up to 1 meter thick and conduct key surveys while exploring waters
off Antarctica and examining candidate sites for a second Korean research station
on the frozen continent. The ship is expected to sail 11,000 kilometers on its
first mission.
The first iceberg was spotted at 8:14 a.m. Tuesday floating on the Antarctic
Ocean in latitude 63 degrees 52 minutes 36 seconds south and longitude 155
degrees 34 minutes 24 seconds west.
The Araon is scheduled to rendezvous with the Russian icebreaker Akademik Petrov
on Thursday in 70 degrees south latitude and 140 degrees west longitude.
The Akademik Petrov will lead the South Korean icebreaker the way into Cape Burks
in the Antartica.
The Aaron will start sailing through thick ice sheets at a speed of up to 5.5
kilometers per hour.
The ship is staffed by a crew of 95, including five Russian experts on sailing
through ice, a helicopter pilot from New Zealand and a four-person maintenance
team.
Christened last year and equipped with various oceanographic, geophysical and
arctic environment laboratories, the Aaron has an endurance of 37,000 kilometers,
or about 70 days. It is also designed to provide logistical support to South
Korea's King Sejong Station located on Antarctica's Barton Peninsula.
In 2008, South Korea announced plans to open another base in Antarctica sometime
after 2011 to expand its research capabilities on the world's southernmost
continent.
Once its mission is completed, the Araon is expected to return to Christchurch on
Feb. 18 and return to the South Korean port of Incheon by mid-March.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
dedicated icebreaker on its maiden voyage to Antartica gained on its final
destination Tuesday, encountering a floating iceberg for the first time in the
second week of its voyage.
The Araon, a 7,487-ton icebreaker and research ship, left Christchurch on the
eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand on Tuesday last week for a
40-day mission.
During the mission, the crew is expected to test the vessel's ability to cut
through ice up to 1 meter thick and conduct key surveys while exploring waters
off Antarctica and examining candidate sites for a second Korean research station
on the frozen continent. The ship is expected to sail 11,000 kilometers on its
first mission.
The first iceberg was spotted at 8:14 a.m. Tuesday floating on the Antarctic
Ocean in latitude 63 degrees 52 minutes 36 seconds south and longitude 155
degrees 34 minutes 24 seconds west.
The Araon is scheduled to rendezvous with the Russian icebreaker Akademik Petrov
on Thursday in 70 degrees south latitude and 140 degrees west longitude.
The Akademik Petrov will lead the South Korean icebreaker the way into Cape Burks
in the Antartica.
The Aaron will start sailing through thick ice sheets at a speed of up to 5.5
kilometers per hour.
The ship is staffed by a crew of 95, including five Russian experts on sailing
through ice, a helicopter pilot from New Zealand and a four-person maintenance
team.
Christened last year and equipped with various oceanographic, geophysical and
arctic environment laboratories, the Aaron has an endurance of 37,000 kilometers,
or about 70 days. It is also designed to provide logistical support to South
Korea's King Sejong Station located on Antarctica's Barton Peninsula.
In 2008, South Korea announced plans to open another base in Antarctica sometime
after 2011 to expand its research capabilities on the world's southernmost
continent.
Once its mission is completed, the Araon is expected to return to Christchurch on
Feb. 18 and return to the South Korean port of Incheon by mid-March.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
