After having set historical record in winter ice, the Russian icebreaker «Kapitan Dranitsyn» requested assistance to return to Russia as it made its way to the North Pole to support the MOSAiC expedition.
The 129 meter-long icebreaker left Norway on 3 February and arrived at the Arctic Ocean on 28 February to exchange crew and researchers with the German icebreaker ‘Polarstern’.
Polarstern has been on site since mid-December with researchers from more than 20 countries who study the Arctic.
Two days before the incident, Kapitan Dranitsyn had set a world record as it reached the northernmost position ever made by a diesel-engined vessel in winter time, The Barents Observer reported.
The vessel began its journey from the Norwegian Port of Tromso and crossed the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean in heavy weather conditions, featuring minus 33 degrees Celcius.
Perennial ice, harshness, snow, and strong compression made it difficult for the ship to move. From time to time, we had to wait for improvements in wind and ice conditions, rebuild the optimal safe route, and bypass heavy ice sections. On such days, Captain Dranitsyn traveled less than 20 miles — the distance that he usually walks in a couple of hours. A total of 2,248 nautical miles have been covered,
…the owner company Rosmoport informed.
In response, the icebreaker Admiral Makarov departed from Murmansk on March 3 with fuel for the vessel.