An Australian icebreaker carrying 52 passengers plucked from an icebound ship in the Antarctic is resuming its journey home after it was halted for a second potential rescue operation.

The long-awaited helicopter rescue of passengers on board a research ship trapped in Antarctic ice for more than a week has finally begun.

The Australian government said radical conservationists who have been pursuing Japanese whalers in Antarctic waters could refuel their ship in Hobart, Tasmania, despite Japan’s claim that they are tantamount to terrorists.