Weather key to rescue of Akademik Shokalskiy from Antarctic pack ice as Aurora Australis closes in

THE fickle Antarctic weather holds the key to the success or failure of a rescue mission to save a tourist ship stuck in Southern Ocean pack ice.

THE fickle Antarctic weather holds the key to the success or failure of a rescue mission being mounted today to save a tourist ship stuck in Southern Ocean pack ice.

The Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis arrived off the Antarctic coast overnight and will attempt to reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy today.

The ship has been stuck in thick pack ice since Christmas Eve with 74 people aboard, including scientists attempting to recreate the voyage of Sir Douglas Mawson a century ago.

Weather conditions in the area were reported to be poor.

The Aurora Australis can break through ice up to 1.23 metres thick at 2.5 knots, slightly better than the icebreaking capabilities of the Chinese vessel Xue Long.

The Chinese ship closed to within six nautical miles of the Akademik Shokalskiy but was unable to get any further.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the Chinese vessel remained in the vicinity to assist as necessary with a helicopter evacuation of the stricken ship if the Aurora Australis was unable to break through the ice.

Australasian Antarctic Expedition leader Chris Turney continued to send messages via social media service Twitter and video-sharing website YouTube indicating that temperatures were rising and the sea ice might be breaking up.

"Wind picked [up] and it's snowing as forecast for this am. Good news: Aurora making attempt from E!," he wrote.

"It's all cracking up here. Cracks are developing around the bow."

"High winds this am; sorry for limited comms. Set up tent on top deck. All well. Aurora making good progress. Waiting game."

Expedition co-leader Greg Mortimer told journalists aboard the ship the Akademik Shokalskiy was in the hands of the forces of nature.

"The combination of elements is really unfortunate -- a couple of blizzards and many, many days blowing in the wrong direction has piled heaps of trouble on our shoulders," he said.

"The power of the forces at work, that's the constant reminder how overwhelmingly powerful the natural forces are here. That's the fearsome, gnarly-teeth side of Antarctica, and its great beauty as well, its allure."