Originally published on December 26, 2013

An expedition to recreate explorer Sir Douglas Mawson's voyage to Antarctica a century ago is in need of rescue after becoming stranded in pack ice a few miles from Antarctica on Christmas day.

The captain of the Russian vessel MV Akademik Shokalskiy sent out a distress call on Christmas morning. "We've been in touch with the master of the vessel, who says they are beset by ice," the spokesperson for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. "They are basically trapped or stuck in the ice and can't move."

A blizzard hit as the ship was on en route to the Mertz glacier, causing the vessel to become trapped in thick ice near Stillwell Island, off Cape de la Motte. "All are well and spirits are high," Chris Turner, the climate scientist who led the expedition, wrote in a tweet. The passengers celebrated Christmas and the ship is in no danger.

The ship was carrying 48 passengers and 20 crew members. Among the passengers were scientists, tourists and two journalists from the Guardian. Aside from commemorating the 100th anniversary of Mawson's voyage, the expedition aimed to collect data and conduct research on the Antarctic wildlife, oceanography and climate to study how the region has changed over 100 years.

Three icebreaker ships - Australia's Aurora Australis, China's Snow Dragon and France's Astrolabe - have been dispatched as part of the rescue mission. The Guardian reported that the Chinese and French icebreakers would take more than a day to reach the position of the stranded vessel. However, Aurora Australis was furthest away, and according to the Sydney Morning Herald, would take four days to arrive at its destination.

After the Shokalskiy is freed, the expedition will continue its voyage in the Southern Ocean and return to Bluff after a stop on Macquarie Island.

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