Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis remains aground near Mawson research station as attempts to refloat the vessel were hindered by the ongoing blizzard.
Australian Antarctic Division said that refloating of the ship will be attempted once the weather conditions ease, which is expected to happen overnight, Thursday, 25 February. Expeditioners on the ship will be transferred to Mawson research station when the conditions ease.
Monitoring of the hull condition of the ship by the crew has revealed a breach in the hull into a space that is usually flooded with ballast water. The breach however is said to pose no risk to the stability of the vessel or of fuel leaking into the environment. The crew continue to monitor the hull.
P&O Maritime, owners of the Aurora Australis, has advised it will take a minimum of three days for the ship’s crew to complete a full assessment of the ship once the vessel is afloat again. Attempts to return the ship to service will follow the completion of this assessment.
The capacity of the ship to complete its original voyage remains unknown, however the Australian Antarctic Division said that it has a range of contingency plans in development.
The Aurora Australis broke free of its mooring lines at 3:15pm AEDT yesterday during a blizzard.