Rescue under way of passengers on ship trapped in Antarctic ice By Jethro Mullen, CNN January 2, 2014 -- Updated 0819 GMT (1619 HKT) The Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy is trapped in thick Antarctic ice 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart, Australia. NEW: The first 12 passengers have arrived on an Australian vessel, officials say It's 100% we're off! A huge thanks to all," a professor on the ship tweets The MV Akademik Shokalskiy has been stuck in ice for more than a week (CNN) -- The rescue of more than 50 passengers trapped on board a ship started Thursday after more than a week stuck in ice off Antarctica. A helicopter was dispatched to start ferrying the 52 passengers from the stranded MV Akademik Shokalskiy, said Li Mingjian, an engineer on a nearby Chinese icebreaker involved in the rescue operation. The first 12 rescued passengers have arrived on an Australian vessel that will eventually take them out of Antarctic waters, said Australian authorities, who are coordinating the rescue efforts. A huge thanks to all," tweeted Chris Turney, an Australian professor among the 52 passengers on the trapped ship. Antarctic expedition photos found The development is the latest chapter in a saga that began Christmas Eve after the Russian-flagged Akademik Shokalskiy got stuck in 10 feet of ice. CNN's Kevin Wang, April Ma, Chelsea J. Carter and Talia Kayali contributed to this report.