US forced to buy services of Russian icebreaker in Antarctica for 2nd yr., US lacks its own operable icebreaker to serve Antarctic science base

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7/6/12, "NSF Finds an Icebreaker to Reach McMurdo," Science Insider, C. Gramling

"After 2 months of negotiations, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has struck a deal with a Russian shipping company to charter a heavy-duty icebreaker to clear a path this winter to the largest U.S. scientific base in the Antarctic....

No U.S. polar icebreakers are currently available to support McMurdo, the logistics hub for U.S. operations on the southern continent. The Polar Star, a heavy-duty icebreaker operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, has been undergoing extensive renovations and is slated to be operational by the 2013-14 season."...via Robert Zimmerman, Behind the Black

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7/7/12, "For a second year in a row the U.S. has negotiated a deal with a Russian company to provide icebreaker service to Antarctica during the winter," Behind the Black, Robert Zimmerman

"For a second year in a row the U.S. has negotiated a deal with a Russian company to provide icebreaker service to Antarctica during the winter.

The company had played hardball in negotiations, so I expect the National Science Foundation is paying a lot more this year than last for the service."

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