Official sees need to be prepared for more polar area rescues

With increasing human activity in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, enhancing the capacity for self-rescue and strengthening of international cooperation in polar search-and-rescue operations have become pressing needs for China, a senior official said.

"The stranding of the Russian vessel Akademik Shokalskiy in Antarctica in December is a wake-up call for China," said Qu Tanzhou, director of the State Oceanic Administration's Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration.

During a 159-day Antarctic expedition, the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, participated in rescuing the Russians. Later, it joined the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.

Qu said because incidents in polar regions may increase, China must be better prepared to handle them. It must also take steps to prevent them, he said.

"Enhancing self-rescue capacity covers areas including competency training for an expedition's staff and crew, the carrying of immersion suits for all on board and guaranteeing the ability to communicate," Qu said.

But improved self-rescue capacity is not enough by itself, Qu said. International cooperation in polar search-and-rescue operations is also crucial.

"Every country may face dangers in polar regions. Helping others this time may encourage others to help you in the future," he said.

Since 1984, China has carried out 30 missions to Antarctica and five to the Arctic.

China is accelerating its pace of polar exploration, but so are others. Interest in the Arctic and Antarctic has heated up around the world, bringing a surge of ships and planes to the icy regions.

In the past five years, there were at least 22 incidents involving ships or aircraft in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, according to the records of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, a global coalition of environmental NGOs.

In December, the Russian research ship, with 52 passengers, got stuck in Antarctica. Three icebreakers — Australian, Chinese and French — tried to reach the ship. Those aboard were finally rescued by a helicopter from the Xuelong.

Risks of incidents are also growing in northern polar regions, with increasing numbers of ships navigating the Arctic Ocean in recent years as sea ice thins.

In the summer of 2010, a cruise ship was stranded on a rock near Kugluktuk in the Coronation Gulf in the western Arctic. With the assistance of the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen, the 128 passengers were safely removed.

International cooperation in polar search and rescue is not rare. In May 2011, the Arctic Council, made up of eight countries that border the Arctic and representatives of indigenous Arctic peoples, signed an aeronautical and maritime search-and-rescue agreement. Signatories included Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.