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World’s largest iceberg is on collision course with British island, endangering penguins and seals.
The island is a wildlife haven, but a collision could be catastrophic for the millions of penguins, seals and other colonies that live there.
Experts have nicknamed the megaberg the “queen of icebergs,” which has a surface area of 1,967 kilometres (1,222 miles). Its sides extend up to 400m (1,312ft) – taller than the Shard in London.
It is one of the world’s oldest icebergs, separating from Antarctica in 1986. It then became stuck on the sea floor and trapped in a whirlpool before breaking away in December last year. On Thursday (January 23), the BBC reported the iceberg is drifting north and is currently 280km (173 miles) away.
“Icebergs are inherently dangerous. I would be extraordinarily happy if it just completely missed us,” Simon Wallace, a sea captain stationed in South Georgia told BBC News.
The British territory is home to King Emperor penguins, elephant seals and fur seals.
Manchester evening news