The research ship "Polarstern" drifts in the Arctic. Dense sea ice delayed the regular change of personnel. Now the supply icebreaker is there. There are new challenges on the way back.
Bremerhaven (dpa) - With a two-week delay, the Russian ice breaker "Kapitan Dranitysn" has reached the German research vessel "Polarstern" - around 150 kilometers from the North Pole.
Never before has a ship made it this deep into the central Arctic on its own initiative, said expedition leader Markus Rex. The captain of the supply ship has demonstrated great competence with this performance. "We are at the limit of what is possible," emphasized Rex.
The "Polarstern" is currently drifting through the Arctic for a year, docked on a huge ice floe. The scientists on board are exchanged every two months. However, dense sea ice had recently prevented the "Kapitan Dranitsyn" from making rapid progress and delayed the change of personnel. This had caused some people on board the "Polarstern" to be upset. Rex, on the other hand, emphasized that the delay was in line with his expectations: "Our concept worked."
Since the arrival of the "Kapitan Dranitsyn" at the ice floe, fresh food and new scientific equipment have been brought to the "Polarstern". It would take days before all the material was on board, since the two ships were about one kilometer apart. Devices would have to be hoisted off-board with cranes; snow groomers and snowmobiles are used for the shuttle. At temperatures of minus 35 degrees Celsius, the devices would reach their limits. "You have to be careful and slow," said Rex. The food would have to be transported in heated containers.
An icebreaker is expected to open in Russia this Tuesday to meet the "Kapitan Dranitsyn" on their way back. The supply ship had consumed more energy than expected due to the thick sea ice. Now it has to be supplied with fuel on the go. As the sea ice will become even thicker in the coming weeks, polar aircraft will be used for the next change of personnel in April. A runway was prepared on the ice floe with snow groomers, according to Rex.
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