The image shows US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star entering an ice field near the Balleny Islands on January 5, 2015, while en route to Antarctica.
The ship’s mission is taking place in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation.
The 399-foot polar class icebreaker, commissioned in 1976, was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington.
It is one of the largest ships in the US Coast Guard and one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear ships.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: USCG