3 Rescue Ships To Reach MV Akademik Shokalskiy, A Russian Tourist And Research Ship Trapped In Antarctic Ice By Friday; Scientists Aboard The Vessel Use Time For Extra Research

Icebreakers are rushing to the aid of a Russian research and tourist ship trapped by sea ice in Antarctica, while scientists abroad the vessel are using the extra time to conduct additional research on the ice-covered continent. MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which has about 50 passengers -- half of them tourists and the other half scientists -- and 20 crew on board, sent a distress call on Christmas morning after it became stuck in a pack of ice about 1,500 nautical miles south of the Australian islan...