Seventy-four passengers trapped aboard an expedition vessel in the Antarctic for nearly a week will have to wait even longer as a rescue ship slowly makes its way through thick ice and snow . The Australian icebreaker ship Aurora Australis was 11 nautical miles away from the Russian-flagged Akademik Shokalskiy early Monday , according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority . `` It 's hard to tell if it makes it through , '' said Lisa Martin , a spokeswoman for AMSA . `` There are snow showers in the area that are causing bad visibility ; conditions are deteriorating . '' Visibility was only about 200 meters ( 656 feet ) , not enough to assess whether the ice breaker can cut through . `` It 's a wait-and-see operation . It 's a very complex situation , '' Martin said . This attempt by the Aurora Australis follows one by the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long , or Snow Dragon , which was just six nautical miles away from the trapped vessel when it could n't get any closer due to unusually thick ice . The Snow Dragon went back to open water but remains in the area to provide support , said Andrea Hayward-Maher , another spokeswoman for the AMSA . The Chinese ship has a helicopter on board that could assist in evacuation . `` We are waiting on the Aurora Australis to tell us if it can make its way through the ice . If it ca n't , then we will be shifting towards the helicopter , and obviously that is weather dependent , '' Martin said . A French icebreaker was also en route to assist , but AMSA called off that vessel 's mission Saturday after it became clear that ship would n't get farther than the Chinese boat . Also , the French and Chinese ships can break ice only about 1 meter ( 3.3 feet ) thick , whereas the Australian ship can pierce through floe about 1.35 meters ( 4.4 feet ) thick . `` Some reports say that the ice is at least 2 meters ( 6.6 feet ) deep . It 's a possibility that the Aurora Australis might not be able to break through that type of ice , '' Hayward-Maher said . Chipper updates continue . Throughout the week trapped passengers have been giving mostly positive updates via YouTube , greeting family members and telling everyone that they 're having a great time . `` It 's my birthday today -- it could n't be a better day to have a birthday with my 80-something new friends , '' one female passenger declared cheerfully while standing on the ice in front of the stranded vessel . `` This afternoon we 're gon na have some singing on the ice , which should be fantastic as well , '' another female passenger adds . `` It 's absolutely spectacular here ; it 's like this magical winter wonderland , '' she declares with a smile as she waves her arms to point out the vast expanse of snow and a foggy sky . The group continues to do research and finds activities to stay occupied , but there is growing concern that blizzard conditions could worsen over the coming days , according to expedition leader Chris Turney , an Australian professor of climate change . Extreme conditions . The rescue icebreakers were battling the planet 's coldest environment while trying to reach the Akademik Shokalskiy ship , whose 74 researchers , crew and tourists remained in good condition despite being at a frozen standstill since last Monday . `` The vessel is fine , it 's safe and everyone on board is very well , '' Turney said . `` Morale is really high . '' The ship got stuck in the ice 15 days after setting out on the second leg of its research trip . According to Turney , a professor at the University of New South Wales , the ship was surrounded by ice up to nearly 10 feet ( 3 meters ) thick . It was about 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont D'Urville , about 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart , Tasmania . On Christmas morning , the ship sent a satellite distress signal after conditions failed to clear . The crew had a `` great Christmas '' despite their situation , Turney told CNN . He said crew members have used the delay to get more work done . `` We 've just kept the team busy , '' he said . The expedition is trying to update scientific measurements taken by an Australian expedition led by Douglas Mawson that set out in 1911 . The expedition to gauge the effects of climate change on the region began November 27 . The second and current leg of the trip started December 8 and was scheduled to conclude with a return to New Zealand on January 4 . Turney said the ship should still be back in New Zealand on time . Century-old photo negatives found in Antarctic explorer 's hut .
An Australian icebreaker is now 11 nautical miles away . It 's not clear yet if it can break through the ice , Australian official says . A Chinese ship ca n't break the ice but is staying nearby in case of helicopter evacuations . Any helicopter rescue of 74 tourists and scientists on board will depend on weather .