All 19 sailors on board the Irina refrigerator vessel in distress in the Russian Far East have been lifted on board the Tatarstan refrigerator, an Emergencies Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
The Irina, whose homeport is Vladivostok, with 19 crew and 500 metric tons of frozen fish on board, is in distress 13 miles from the Russian Kunashir Island claimed by Japan.
The ship’s propulsion engine died, its steering wheel broke down and the vessel has a leak.
The Tatarstan transport refrigerator ship arrived at the site to help the distressed vessel, but strong wind gusts and high waves at first prevented the evacuation of the Irina’s crewmembers.
The ministry spokesman said the Irina is still afloat. The Atlas rescue vessel is on its way, he said, adding that it will arrive at the site on Thursday.