Updated

Officials say a seriously ill man has begun a two-week ocean voyage on an icebreaker from an Australian Antarctic base to a hospital in Australia.

The Australian Antarctic Division said in a statement Monday that the man was flown by helicopter on Sunday night in cold and snowy conditions from Davis Station on the coast of Princess Elizabeth Land to the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis.

The statement says the icebreaker is expected to reach the southern Australian city of Hobart around April 4.

Authorities have released no personal details about the man, who is a tradesman. They have not revealed the nature of his medical emergency, other than to describe his condition as "serious but stable."