Passengers on a Russian polar expedition ship off Antarctica are getting a whiter Christmas than they probably wanted.

The MV Akademik Shokalskiy, with 74 people aboard, got trapped in ice and is waiting for other ships with ice-breaking capabilities to reach it, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said Wednesday.

A British rescue coordination center received a satellite distress signal on Christmas morning from the Russian-flagged ship and contacted the Australian authority, which handles the Southern Ocean region where the vessel was stuck, an AMSA statement said.

Three icebreakers were headed to help the Russian vessel, the AMSA statement said, adding that none were expected to reach it before Friday.

“According to reports, nobody is in present danger and three nearby icebreakers are being sent to assist,” the Expeditions Online website said.

It described the ship as “a fully ice-strengthened expedition vessel” for working in polar regions.