It's the only country with a fleet of nuclear ice breakers to open up and control Arctic trade routes that could make trade between Asia and the west much faster and cheaper.
Stuck in a thick field of floating ice off the coast of Antarctica earlier this month, the Coast Guard's flagship icebreaker, the Polar Star, was deployed to rescue the ship.
After more than a week, marooned in Antarctice pack ice, the team of scientists and tourists were airlifted to a nearby Australia ice breaker are now heading into open seas.
The vessel, carrying a team of 101 members, will work with another icebreaker Xuelong, which set sail on Nov. 5 with 154 members on board for the polar expedition.
Japan and South Korea own powerful icebreakers, which allow them to conduct their own exploratory ventures and support those by other states and organisations.
Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) will investigate the role of Icebreaker and mother ship, the Polar Prince, which carried the Titan out to sea.