"The United States is sending a heavy icebreaker to help free an Australian fishing boat with 27 people on board that has been stranded since Tuesday in the icy Antarctic seas, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

The 207-foot (63-meter) Antarctic Chieftain has been stuck 900 miles (1,450 km) northeast of McMurdo Sound since Tuesday night.

Responding to a request for help from New Zealand authorities, the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star is scheduled to reach the vessel on Thursday evening, the Coast Guard said in a statement."

Karen Brooks reports for Reuters February 11, 2015. [2]