Icebreaker 100 miles from stuck ship

AN Australian icebreaker is closing in on a ship wedged in Antarctic sea ice as part of a second rescue mission to free the stricken vessel.

A group of scientists, explorers and tourists has been stuck on the Russian research ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, about 1500 nautical miles south of Hobart, for the past five days.

Two icebreakers have given up on efforts to push through the thick and dangerous ice floes near Antarctica to try to free the trapped research vessel.

A third icebreaker, Australia's Aurora Australis, is on its way to the ship and is due to arrive about 1am (NZT) on Monday.

It is the last ship in the area that will be able to help.

The Aurora Australis was about 100 nautical miles from the trapped ship at 2pm (AEDT),(4pm NZT), the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement.

If it can't battle through the ice, AMSA says a second option may be to consider ferrying trapped passengers with a helicopter.

The locked-in ship, with 74 people on board, including several New Zealanders, sent a distress call on Christmas Day after becoming trapped in heavy sea ice.

The ship had been undertaking the Spirit of Mawson voyage, which is retracing Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson's Antarctic expedition.

Professor Chris Turney of the University of NSW is leading the expedition, consisting of scientists, explorers and enthusiasts undertaking climate research.

He insisted during several interviews with international media outlets that everyone was in good spirits despite the ordeal.

The Aurora icebreaker is rated at being able to push through ice slightly deeper than one metre thick.

China's Snow Dragon icebreaker, which came within six-and-a-half nautical miles of the stuck ship before turning back out of safety fears, is standing by in case its helicopter will be needed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said four New Zealanders are on board, but there may be as many as six, according to media reports.

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