Antarctic ship rescue underway

Authorities say the rescue mission for the passengers stranded off Antarctica will commence shortly. Source: AAP

A RESCUE helicopter has loaded the first two groups of passengers from a Russian ship stuck in sea ice in Antarctica.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) estimates the rescue of the ship's 52 passengers, including scientists, tourists and journalists, will take at least five hours, depending on the weather.

Expedition leader Chris Turney confirmed in a tweet that the mostly Australian and New Zealand passengers stuck in ice on the Akademik Shokalskiy since Christmas Eve were being airlifted to safety.

"The Chinese helicopter has arrived @ the Shokalskiy. It's 100% we're off! A huge thanks to all." Prof Turney tweeted on Thursday afternoon.

He then tweeted a video of passengers walking through the ice and loading onto the helicopter.

"The first of the helicopters to take us home. Thanks everyone!"

Just after 7pm (AEDT) on Thursday, he tweeted "Take off! second team gone. Looking good."

The group will be moved in five flights of up to 12 passengers, with each return journey to the Xue Long some 10 nautical miles away expected to take 45 minutes.

The helicopter from the Chinese icebreaker the Xue Long finally reached the ship around 5pm after several attempts were thwarted by severe weather.

After initially saying the rescue would go ahead on Thursday, AMSA then announced around 1pm that sea ice conditions would delay the mission.

But the helicopter arrived at the makeshift helipad in the ice next to the ship just before 5pm and loaded the passengers shortly after.

AMSA took to social media on Thursday evening to say the first helicopter carrying 12 passengers had successfully transferred them.

Passengers are due to be dropped off on the Chinese ship, then transferred on a barge to the Aurora Australis icebreaker.

That ship will carry the passengers to Tasmania, arriving by mid-January.

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