A Russian vessel called the MV Akademik Shokalskiy has been stranded in Antarctic ice for about a week now, leaving 74 onboard scientists, tourists, and crew members in limbo of sorts as rescue missions try to reach them. Reportedly, the ship is well stocked with food and is in no danger of sinking or losing heat. In other words, the people on the ship are safe, but that fact doesn’t bring them any closer to getting home.

And it appears that getting the passengers of the Shokalskiy home could be difficult. According to a report from BBC News, an Australian icebreaker sent to force its way through the ice to the Russian vessel was forced to turn back on Sunday due to “fierce winds” and “poor visibility.”

The Australian rescue mission was actually the third attempt to reach the Shokalskiy. The Russian vessel got stuck last Tuesday, after attempting to follow the route of a century-old Antarctic expedition made by explorer Douglas Mawson. Scientists aboard the vessel are doing essentially the same research that Mawson did 100 years ago, exploring Antarctica and studying the “geology, glaciology, and terrestrial biology” of the continent.

The passengers of the Shokalskiy seem mostly unfazed by being stuck in the ice. Since being forced away from open water and into the ice by unexpectedly harsh weather conditions, scientists aboard the ship have continued their planned research, finding that the ice surrounding the ship is much thicker than they expected to find in Antarctica at this time of year. Blizzards, harsh winds, and cold temperatures have created impressive ice formations around the Shokalskiy, making it more difficult for rescue missions to reach the ship, but also giving passengers more visual marvels to look upon in their stranded state.

In fact, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is heading up the expedition and most of the rescue efforts, noted that the location of the Shokalskiy is currently being bombarded by wind speeds of up to 30 knots and almost consistent snow showers. These conditions have made the ship’s position unreachable for rescuers, including the aforementioned Australian icebreaker – called the Aurora Australis – and a Chinese vessel called the Snow Dragon.

The Snow Dragon got within seven nautical miles of the Shokalskiy, but the ice was simply too thick to break. The Chinese vessel also had a helicopter onboard, and if all had gone according to plan, it would have been used to winch passengers of the Russian ship to safety. However, snow showers and winds have rendered the helicopter all but useless.

In fact, the closest a rescue attempt has come to success didn’t even come from the human race: the Shokalskiy and its passengers were visited last week by a curious colony of penguins.