The captain of the coastal freighter Grigory Lovtsov asked for emergency assistance, as the ship faced sea ice formation threatening hull damage.
Namely, the Lovtsov sent a distress signal on January 4, reporting that it was caught in the ice, off the coast of the Shantar Islands.
The master expressed concern that the ship might sustain hull damage from the ice and for this reason he called for the evacuation of the vessel’s crewmembers.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations ministry, it deployed a rescue helicopter from Khabarovsk to assist.
The helicopter will fly to the town of Chumikan, where it will take on more fuel before flying out to the Lovtsov’s position.
The Lovtsov is a coastal ro/ro freighter, and in the weeks before the incident it was operating between the Siberian mainland and Feklistova Island.
