China in Antarctica?

Just picked up on this on BBC News then internet

WTF is a Chinese icebreaker doing in the Antarctic

Evidently at this time it was attempting to reach the Russian "cruise" ship trapped there but has ironically become trapped itself.

Are we so unsighted on the real world that we have missed the Chinese playing around in the Southern Ocean?
Would appreciate the veil being lifted from mine eyes on this.

BBC News - China icebreaker fails to reach stuck Antarctic ship
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25523952
35 mins ago - A scientific mission ship, trapped in dense pack ice off East Antarctica, is still awaiting rescue after a Chinese icebreaker failed to reach it.


From Wiki...
Antarctic Operations, 2013-2014[edit]
In December, 2013, Xuě Lóng embarked on its first circumpolar voyage in Antarctic.[19] It was operating within 900km west of the Mertz Glacier Tongue when it was dispatched along several other icebreakers by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to free Akademik Shokalskiy which had become trapped in ice off the East Antarctic coast.[20] By 27 December, Xuě Lóng, closed to within 6 nautical miles from the position of Akademik Shokalskiy, but had stalled in its efforts to complete the rendezvous due to encountering thick ice.[21]

reply to post by Shuftystick


Everyone wants a share of Antartica. The only continent on Earth which hasn't been colonized yet.. it's bound to frustrate a couple of superpower nations.

The Chinese ship in an ice breaker gone to aid a ship stuck in the ice, an Australian one is on the way apparently going to arrive on Sunday. Not everything is a conspiracy

reply to post by ThePeaceMaker


Good point.

The Chinese are living all over the world. Ev en in tiny little villages in the UK we have our Chinese take-=away.

China has the ability to do whatever it wishes both financially , technically and physically so cooperation and diplomacy are probably the means of creating harmony. Its who ultimately controls China that will discern how it deals with the rest of the world.

reply to post by Shuftystick


Hmmm as I'm aware Great Britain gave Australia 5.9 million square kilometers, about 42% of Antarctica 80 years ago, nice little gift i say!

I'm not sure why a Chinese icebreaker would assist the other vessel, unless it was closer than the Australian AAT research vessels? question is why was it closer?

reply to post by Shuftystick


The Chinese have been "playing around in the Southern Ocean" since they first built a base in Antarctica in 1985. A bit too long to go unsighted, surely. And, since they signed up to the Antarctic Treaty in 1983, they probably have as much right to be there as any of the other 30 or so nations that also maintain Antarctic bases.

reply to post by ThePeaceMaker


Didn't suggest it was a conspiracy, but being of an inquisitive mind and certainly as a Greenpeace supporter plus more than a handful of other Oceanic connected organisations I was interested to know what the f*** the Chinese are doing in the Antarctic. Yes it's ex. Soviet and a "research" vessel, but having been made aware of "exploitation" of the Polar Regions rather than "research" I am curious, simple as.

As an ex.professional seafarer I am pleased to note that the Chinese uphold the traditions of the sea, if they gain political kudos as a result, I don't give a flying fig.

However, back to OP, what are they doing there? Conspiracy fact, not fiction, the Chinese have been flying the flag, and given the ease with which this rather conspicuous vessel visited a Canadian outpost in the Arctic Circle without being detected...it is a rather large metal object painted with Icebreaker Red, so should be easy to spot once it looms over the radar or visual horizon.

Perhaps they are concerned about global warming, but that's speculation, not fact.

Intelligent debate requested...

reply to post by lacrimoniousfinale


Good post, thanks, was not aware of their involvement.
See amended post re. how the beast surprised the Canadians when it turned up on their back stoop unexpectedly.

reply to post by Shuftystick


Sorry I do not understand your thread. Why wouldnt a Chinese Ice breaker be in Antarctica. It seem like a sensible place for it to be..

So what now china isn't allowed in certain places in the world ? Russians are in Antarctica and Russia and China are neighbours. Just for your info china has a river on the moon now, are they allowed there ?

There's nothing strange about their boat being there

ThePeaceMaker
The Chinese ship in an ice breaker gone to aid a ship stuck in the ice, an Australian one is on the way apparently going to arrive on Sunday. Not everything is a conspiracy

The news on tv mentioned last night that there is another country also sending an icebreaker, in case the Chinese get stuck too. They said at this point the Russians were well stocked up with food and drink, and making the best of it.

The Snow Dragon has a helicopter on board that can be used to rescue passengers if the Aurora Australis can not break through the ice. The ship isn’t in danger of sinking, and there are weeks' worth of supplies on board.
A third icebreaker, the French L'Astrolabe had made it to the edge of the sea ice surrounding the ship on Saturday, but was also forced to call off the rescue attempt after failing to break through the ice.
The Russian embassy in Australia has been in constant contact with the captain and said everyone on board was in good health and there was “no threat to their lives or safety”.

www.independent.co.uk...
France, Australia, China, Russia......

edit on 28-12-2013 by snowspirit because: (no reason given)

It figures ,,they went there to rescue Global warming alarmist...& too much ice got them stuck ...lol

reply to post by Shuftystick


This should hopefully answer your question:

www.theguardian.com...

A modicum of basic internet research reveals sufficient informed comment to suggest that China's and yes, even good old Iran's interests may not be entirely altruistic.

So, yes, it may be that everyone has a right to be there, but, would you want just anybody there.
Of course, it's only the penguins that would have to worry about violation of basic rights down there. The krill don't count and the plight of the whales down there has already been stitched up by the Fukushima Fhilanthropists.

So, yeah, let the kids play, what harm can they cause exploring for oil or whatever, it's not as if anyone actually lives there is it? After all, Fukushima could not actually happen according to Nuclear experts and the corporate giants assure us that an oil spill in the Polar Region will either not happen or if it does, won't be catastophic. Uhhh...yeah, sure, but...

So, the OP was what are they doing there, not do they have any right to be there.

reply to post by Shuftystick


I'm guessing that you didn't get to read the link I provided.

Yes, they're in Antarctica for resource exploration, but that's all they're allowed to do.

There is a treaty in place that says no nation can mine Antarctica.

reply to post by Shuftystick


You're asking for intelligent debate, but you're continually asking 'WTF are the Chinese doing in Antarctica', and then immediately answering your own question by stating they're there on a rescue mission to free the trapped vessel...what am i missing?

Asked and answered by yourself quite a few times as far as i can see.

But for the sake of clarity...the Chinese vessel is in Antarctica on a rescue mission to help free another trapped vessel. The Chinese in general, are in Antarctica for the same reasons that the hoards of other nations are there.

Where's the mystery?

reply to post by Blowback


Good point.

Why the hell don't icebreaker designers use a little creative thinking and install electrically heated elements to the hulls of these breaker vessels?

When stuck in ice, surely running 90% - 100% of the ships electrical energy through the hull's electrical elements, if they had them, would simply loosen the grip of the ice enough to continue onwards.

Simple technology, easily incorporated and i'd bet pretty effective at helping a ship to free itself once icebound.

Too simple i suppose.

reply to post by AlphaHawk


Thanks for link AlphaHawk, should have known the Guardian would produce.
So, cat out of the bag, it is purely altruisticand nothing to do with depletion of natural resources or earth/space based warfare/defence etc.

Guess I misread the Chinese and subsequently the Iranians on this one then? Damn, too many conspiracy theories flying about, bring me facts...!

Do the Chinese eat Penguins by any chance?
Anyone counted the Penguins down there recently?
If Penguin makes its way onto the menu at my local takeaway I will have been proved right, they were not there for altruistic reasons.

reply to post by AlphaHawk


Sorry, will try to read things and respond quicker in future, guess 19 minutes not good enough?