A seriously ill man has begun a two-week ocean voyage on an icebreaker from an Australian Antarctic base to a hospital in Australia, officials said on Monday.

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 Australian Antarctic Division said in a statement.

The icebreaker is expected to reach the southern Australian city of Hobart around April 4, it said.