A Russian transport ship carrying 19 sailors rescued from a capsized Cambodian-registered trawler, is trapped in ice off Russia's Pacific coast, local emergencies said Thursday, RIA Novosti reports.
The Kapitan Kamratov arrived at the scene following an SOS signal from the trawler early Wednesday, quickly enough to pick up its Russian crew with a lifeboat in the Sea of Okhotsk, 130 miles northeast of the Sakhalin Island, despite a heavy storm.
During the rescue operation, wind speed was 25 meters per second (56 mph), and wave height reached around five meters (16 feet), the captain of the saved ship said.
The capsized trawler is drifting in the area, endangering navigation, and poses an environmental threat, with 36 metric tons of fuel and 400 kg (880 lbs) of lubricant onboard. Its owners are considering pumping the chemicals onto another ship, a spokesman said.