US Vessel to Assist Trapped Ships in Antarctica

The U.S. Coast Guard says one of its vessels is responding to a request from Australia, Russia and China to assist two ships trapped in ice in the Antarctic. The Coast Guard said Saturday its icebreaker, the Polar Star, is cutting short a planned stop in Sydney to assist the Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy and the Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon. In a statement, U.S. military officer Paul Zukunft said the Coast Guard's top priority is "safety of life at sea." He...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - samedi 4 janvier 2014