MOSCOW, February 20 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian trade vessel, the Pashkovsky, is in distress in the Sea of Okhotsk about 10 nautical miles west of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Tuesday.
"A cable is wound around the vessel's screw propeller, which is registered with the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky port," a spokesman for the ministry said. "There are 13 people on board the vessel, which is currently drifting towards the shore."
The spokesman said that currently two rescue ships are ready to set off from the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky port to evacuate the crew from the distressed vessel, but poor weather conditions, particularly strong winds and high waves, are hampering rescue efforts.
He added that special headquarters for the rescue operation has been set up and currently rescuers are considering using air-sea rescue services.
