Plot Synopsis

BREAKING ICE is a reality series that follows the crews of two icebreakers, the USCGC Healy in the Arctic and the RV Polarstern in the Antarctic, as they battle extreme weather, thick ice, and turbulent waters to cut a path for tankers that deliver food, fuel, and equipment to isolated cities and people. On its five-week expedition with a varied crew of veteran sailors and rookies, the US Coast Guard's icebreaker, USCGC Healy, cuts through ice just a few hundred miles from the North Pole. Nearly a thousand miles from the nearest city, port or ship, this American icebreaker is on its own -- there are no real rescue options if things go wrong. Meanwhile, Germany's RV Polarstern icebreaker is tasked with the critical mission to resupply the country's Antarctic research station named Neumayer. This is a 10,000-mile journey, starting from Bremerhaven, Germany to Cape Town, South Africa. From there it is off to the Antarctic where the German icebreaker battles through increasingly turbulent waters (with waves reaching 45 feet) to deliver goods to isolated scientists on the barren Antarctic continent.