Australian icebreaker the Aurora Australis ran aground at West Arm in Horseshoe Harbour, Antarctica, while on a resupply stopover at Mawson station.
According to the Australian Antarctic Division, which is responding to the incident, the Aurora Australis broke free of its mooring lines at 3:15pm AEDT (9:15am Mawson time) during a blizzard.
A total of 67 expeditioners and crew are on board the ship, owned by P&O Maritime Services, and all are reported to be safe and well.
“The ship remains watertight, with no damage to the hull of the vessel. Current blizzard conditions are hampering a full assessment of the damage, and the crew are closely monitoring the hull from inside the ship,” the Australian Antarctic Division said.
Sustained winds of more than 130 km/h have been recorded on the Mawson station automatic weather station leading up to the time the Aurora Australis broke its mooring lines. Blizzard conditions are forecast to continue for the next 24 hours.
The Aurora Australis departed Hobart on 11 January 2016 and has been undertaking marine science around the Kerguelen Plateau region. It arrived at Mawson for resupply on Saturday (20 February 2016).