An Australian icebreaker is closing in on a ship wedged in Antarctic sea ice as part of a second rescue mission to free the stricken vessel.
A group of scientists, explorers and tourists has been stuck on the Russian research ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, about 1500 nautical miles south of Hobart, for the past five days.
Two icebreakers have given up on efforts to push through the thick and dangerous ice floes near Antarctica to try to free the trapped research vessel.
A third icebreaker, Australia's Aurora Australis, is on its way to the ship and is due to arrive in the next few hours.