All Passengers Rescued From Russian Ship Trapped In Ice (VIDEO)

All the passengers who were stranded since Christmas Eve on a Russian cruise ship stuck in the ice near Antarctica were rescued Thursday morning, reports say.

A helicopter from a Chinese icebreaker delivered all 52 passengers in groups of 12 from the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy to an Australian icebreaker, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre told the New York Daily News.

The Australian icebreaker, the Aurora Australis, will transport the passengers to the Australian island of Tasmania, according to the Daily News.

"We've made it to the Aurora australis safe & sound. A huge thanks to the Chinese & @AusAntarctic for all their hard work!," tweeted University of New South Wales Professor Chris Turney, who was on the ship.

Robert Darvill, chief mate of the Aurora Australis, told CNN all of the passengers, a group of scientists and tourists, heartily expressed their thanks to the crew.

"They are on their second dinner of the night right now," Davrill told CNN.

The Akademik Shokalskiy sailed from New Zealand in late November on an expedition to recreate Australian adventurer Douglas Mawson's 1911 journey to Antarctica. The ship got stuck after a blizzard blew ice around the ship, leaving it trapped off the coast of Antarctica.

There were several previous attempts to rescue the ship's passengers and crew of 22. A Chinese icebreaker, the Xue Long, was dispatched, but was six nautical miles from the ship before it was hindered by really thick ice, CNN reported.

Next the Aurora Australis tried to reach the trapped ship, but on Monday was forced to return to open water due to extreme winds and snow, the Daily News reported.

Rescue authorities then planned for a helicopter to take the passengers from the ship to a Chinese icebreaker, then to a barge that would take them to the Aurora Australis. But again weather conditions prevented that course of action, the Daily News reported.

The rescue plan using the helicopter without the barge was not decided on until Thursday morning. The passengers are expected to reach Tasmania in two weeks. The crew stayed behind, remaining on the trapped ship until it is able to move. They are in no danger and have enough supplies to last, CNN reported.

Tuney, who is also the leader of the expedition, tweeted videos and updates of their rescue. "I think everyone is relieved and excited to be going on to the Australian icebreaker and then home," Tuney told the Associated Press.