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Published: 5:42PM Wednesday December 25, 2013 Source: ONE News
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ourists onboard an Antarctic cruise are spending Christmas waiting to be rescued after their vessel got trapped in thick sheets of sea ice.
The ship had been on a multi-day tour from New Zealand to visit several sites along the edge of Antarctica.
The vessel, MV Akademik Shokalskiy. has 74 people on board and is currently stuck approximately 1500 nautical miles south of Hobart.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is controlling the rescue operation after receiving a distress call this morning.
Three ships with icebreaking capabilities are now on their way to help rescue the passengers, but the closest vessels are at least two days away.
The Russian-built ship was originally used as a research vessel, before being used more recently for cruises.
Antarctic cruise passengers stranded in sea ice