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PRETORIA, June 27 (AFP) - Helicopter pilots aboard a South African ship racing to rescue 107 scientists and crew on an ice-bound German vessel in the Antarctic were on Thursday preparing to airlift the first group of passengers to safety, the captain said.

Captain Kevin Tate of the Agulhas rescue vessel said two Oryx helicopters would, weather permitting, each make one trip a day to ferry food to and airlift passengers from the Magdalena Oldendorff, which since June 14 has been trapped in pack ice about 300 kilometres (180 miles) from the South African Antarctic base on Queen Maude Land.

"Decisions are made on the basis of the weather conditions and the information available at the time," Tate said in a radio telephone link-up.

The operation is expected to last several days.

"We will have completed a successful mission when we have the people off the Magdalena Oldendorff and the supplies transferred from the SA Agulhas," Tate said.

The 71 Russian scientists and 36 German crew aboard the stranded ship have enough food aboard to last until July 15.

The Agulhas -- which has a strengthened hull but is not an ice-breaker -- left Cape Town 13 days ago on the rescue mission and was about 650 kilometres (390 miles) from the stricken vessel by Wednesday.

The Argentine icebreaker Almirante Irizar left Buenos Aires early on Tuesday and is expected to join the operation within the next 10 days. Nampa-AFP

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