CAPE TOWN, July 1: Helicopters on Monday plucked the last of 90 scientists and non-essential crew from a ship trapped in ice deep in the Antarctic Ocean, officials said.

Two helicopters flew 205 nautical miles (380 km) from the South African research ship Agulhas to the icebound Magdalena Oldendorff shortly after the dawn of the region’s six-hour day at 0915 GMT and returned about four hours later.

“We have evacuated all the people we needed to move now,” ship’s agent Vasily Kaliazin of the Antarctic Logistics Centre told Reuters. “The second chopper has landed safely on board of the Agulhas and the ship is steaming north.”

Tanya Hacker, spokeswoman for the Dutch-owned Smit Marine salvage company in Cape Town, said the helicopters collected the last eight scientists and 11 non-essential crew, leaving 17 men to look after the ship until it can be broken out of the ice.

The helicopters left when the ship was 205 nautical miles (380km) from the German vessel, but Captain Kevin Tate continued to move the Agulhas closer.

The German-owned vessel on charter to a Russian Antarctic expedition became trapped early in June with 107 scientists and crew when pack ice closed across the bay.

Operators said in Cape Town the crew had stayed late in the season waiting for the ice to harden enough to allow them to offload heavy machinery.

NO DANGER: The crew were in no physical danger but had run out of sugar, coffee and cigarettes. They had food for three weeks and the only entertainment was a collection of Bollywood movies left behind by an earlier Indian expedition.

Kaliazin said the owners of the Magdalena Oldendorff would decide on Tuesday whether to extend the charter of the Agulhas and ask the ship to stay in the vicinity until it is clear whether the German vessel can be broken free.—Reuters