Here are some images of the sea ice coverage currently in the study area.  It is early spring now so the ice should begin to recede.  I am currently in Anchorage where it is a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit.  I have been looking at the ice images in order to anticipate what lies ahead.  (The images are from the Alaska Ocean Observing System.)

The white indicates where there is ice coverage.  This is a satellite image much like a sea surface temperature map or productivity map.  

The open water is very rough so the ship is likely to stay in the ice where it will be calmer because the ice dampens the swell.