Far East Shipping Company - Provision of Icebreaker Services for the U.S. Antarctic Program - Russian Icebreaker KRASIN

根据协议备忘录，美国海岸警卫队为美国南极计划（USAP）提供破冰支持。在2004 - 2005年的南方夏季，两种相当不寻常的情况结合在一起：1)麦克默多海峡的浮冰面积超过了100海里——是以前见过的面积的两倍多；2)由于机械故障，两艘海岸警卫队的船只中有一艘能够打破通往USAP麦克默多站的通道，但由于机械故障无法航行。海岸警卫队和美国国家科学基金会极地项目办公室认为，如果只使用一艘破冰船，对美国空军来说风险太大了。在全球范围内寻找可用的破冰船。这次搜索导致了俄罗斯破冰船“克拉辛号”的特许状。KRASIN是一艘非常强大的破冰船，也是俄罗斯舰队中最大的常规动力破冰船。

Under a Memorandum of agreement the United States Coast Guard has provided ice breaking support to the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). In the 2004 - 2005 Austral summer, two rather extraordinary circumstances combined: 1) The extent of fast ice in McMurdo Sound exceeded 100 nautical miles - more than double the extent ever seen before, and 2) One of the two Coast Guard vessels able to break a channel to USAP's McMurdo Station was not able to sail due to mechanical difficulties. The Coast Guard and the NSF Office of Polar Programs determined that if only one icebreaker were used, the risk to the USAP would be too great. A world-wide search for an available icebreaker was conducted. This search resulted in the charter of the Russian icebreaker, KRASIN. The KRASIN is a very capable icebreaker and the largest conventionally powered icebreaker in the Russian fleet.