SARATOV, August 21 (RIA Novosti, Erik Batuyev) - The river tug in distress on the Volga river near Saratov, poses no threat to the river's ecology.
"Rescuers managed to straighten the damaged tug and prevent a fuel spill," a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry's regional department said.
A special repair ship arrived at the site to patch cracks cause by a clash with an unknown metal object.
The tug will later be pulled to a dock to be minutely examined and repaired, the source said.
The RT-456 river tug, owned by one of Saratov's enterprises, was seriously damaged after a clash with an unknown object while moving between the coastline and the Kazachy Island on Saturday afternoon.