For more than a week, 52 passengers were trapped in the ice of Antarctica aboard a ship, but Thursday, every last one was rescued successfully, NBC News reported.

On a scientific mission about 1,700 miles south of Australia, those aboard the Akademic Shokalskiy sent out a distress signal on Christmas morning. Surrounded by sea ice and facing dangerous weather, initial rescue attempts were hampered.

At 6:02 a.m. ET Thursday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed on Twitter that all passengers were safely rescued via airlift.

While trapped, the passengers climbed from the ship and onto the ice, stomping flat a provisional space for a helipad. The helicopter arrived on board the Chinese ice-breaking ship Xue Long, or "Snow Dragon." The helicopter successfully helped all the passengers board the Australian ice-breaking ship Aurora Australis.

Both ice-breaking ships had to stop at a certain point when they encountered sea ice an estimated 12 feet thick. At that point, they knew they needed a helicopter, but that plan was delayed several days by fog and high winds.

"I think everyone is relieved and excited to be going on to the Australian icebreaker and then home," expedition leader Chris Turney told the Associated Press.

The Akademic Shokalskiy left New Zealand Nov. 28 setting out to recreate Douglas Mawson's trek to Antarctica, which spanned from 1911 to 1913. The rescues are scheduled to arrive at the Australian island of Tasmania in mid-Jan.

Robert Darvill, chief mate on the Aurora Australis, told CNN the Shokalskiy have been constantly thanking the rescuers for their efforts and are extremely happy.

"They are on their second dinner of the night right now," he said.

The Shokalskiy master decided to keep his 22-member Russian crew on board in order to wait for the sea ice to break up.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation," Darvill told the Chinese ice-breaker's Captain, according to CNN. "Your crew has done the lion's share of the work and made Australia and much of the world proud."