.
Expedition leader "Mr. Godfrey said the ship had been caught by thick "multi-year" pack ice that towered 2-3m above sea level."
1/24/14, "Federal Government to seek full cost recovery for Antarctic expedition rescue," news.com.au
"The Federal Government will seek the full costs incurred during the recovery effort to save the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt yesterday said costs,
estimated at about $2.4 million, would be sought from the insurer of the
operators of the vessel.
The
MV Akademik Shokalskiy, chartered by the University of NSW-associated
Australasian Antarctic Expedition to retrace the steps of explorer Sir
Douglas Mawson, became stuck in thick sea ice on Christmas Eve.
The 52 passengers were rescued by the Aurora Australis on January 2. Mr Hunt said the Commonwealth would seek compensation for the recovery effort. "We will be seeking full cost recovery through insurers for the up
to $2.4 million costs incurred by the Australian government," he said. "We have a duty to protect life at sea and we do that willingly.
"However,
what we see here is that there are some questions as to whether or not
the ship was detained by the action of those on board within an area the
captain had identified as potentially being subject to being frozen in. "I think we have a duty on behalf of taxpayers to seek full cost recovery."
The
leader of an expedition to Mawson's Hut said the trip had been
completed and the Akademik Shokalskiy had moved on to a different
location before it became trapped in ice.
Expedition leader Ian
Godfrey said the ship had dropped his Mawson's Hut Foundation work party
off from the western side of a giant 97km-long iceberg.
He said
it was only after the eight-person expedition team had completed its
140km round trip across the ice that the ship had moved to the eastern
side of the iceberg.
It was there that the ship was caught in an ice trap, sprung by 70km/h wind gusts.
Mr Godfrey said the ship had been caught by thick "multi-year" pack ice that towered 2-3m above sea level." via Free Rep.
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Battle begins over Antarctic rescue bill
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