There are fears that the world's largest iceberg could hit an island in the Atlantic Ocean

It is the largest iceberg in the world still moving and there are fears that it could go north from Antarctica to the island of South Georgia.

The iceberg, known as A23a, had previously been “stuck” spinning around an undersea mountain for several months, according to Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey.

Now, it seems to be moving with the usual current towards South Georgia, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.

“It's currently in the loop of the current and it's not moving directly to the island,” Meijers said in a statement sent to CNN on Thursday. “But our understanding of the currents is indicating that it is likely to move towards the island soon.”

“Icebergs are really dangerous. I would be delighted if he missed us completely,” said sea captain Simon Wallace, who was talk to the BBC from South Georgia government ship Pharos.

“We have search lights all night to try to spot ice — it can't come from anywhere,” Wallace said.

The iceberg remains the largest in the world, according to measurements updated by the US National Ice Center earlier this month.

Covering an area of ​​3,672 square kilometers (1,418-square-miles) when measured in August – slightly smaller than Rhode Island and more than twice the size of London – scientists have been tracking sharp on the A23a iceberg since it broke out of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986.

It remained lying on the floor of the Antarctic Weddell Sea for more than 30 years, probably until it drifted just enough to loosen its grip on the sea floor.

The iceberg was then carried away by ocean currents before rejoining the Taylor plume – the name given to the spinning vortex of water caused by ocean currents hit an underwater mountain.

In December, the iceberg broke free. At first, scientists said they expected it to continue moving along ocean currents and toward warmer water.

At the time, the British Antarctic Survey said the iceberg would likely break up and eventually melt when it reached the remote island of South Georgia.

But for now, at least in satellite images, the iceberg appears to have maintained its structure and is yet to break up into smaller pieces, as “megabergs” have done before , Meijers said.

It is now a question of whether the iceberg will follow the current and head for the open Atlantic or whether it will run to the continental shelf where it would be stuck for a while.

“If this happens, it could severely restrict access to feeding areas for the wildlife – mainly seals and penguins – that breed on the island,” said Meijers.

Meanwhile, Mark Belchier, director of fisheries and environment for the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, told CNN on Thursday that he was closely monitoring the iceberg's path. “Although they are common in South Georgia, they can cause problems for shipping and fishing vessels in the area,” Belchier said.

Belchier said any impacts on wildlife would likely be “very localized and transient.”

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are rich in biodiversity and home to one of the largest Marine Protected Areas in the world.

Scientists have suggested that this particular iceberg may have broken away as part of the ice shelf's natural growth cycle and not because of a fossil fuel-driven climate crisis. But global warming is driving disturbing changes in Antarctica, with potentially dire consequences for global sea level rise.

CNN's Issy Ronald added to the report.

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