On January 17, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star — America’s only active heavy icebreaker — freed the Australian-owned luxury cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II, which had become trapped in dense Antarctic pack ice roughly eight nautical miles from McMurdo Sound in the Ross Sea.
The Polar Star’s crew made two close passes through the ice to break the pack and then escorted the cruise ship about four nautical miles to open water, ensuring a safe exit from the hazardous ice fields.
The operation highlights the importance of specialized icebreaking vessels in maintaining safe navigation in extreme polar regions, especially for civilian ships conducting tourism and research voyages.
Icebreakers like Polar Star are essential to sustain research outposts and international scientific cooperation in Antarctica by ensuring that supply ships can deliver fuel, equipment, and personnel.