The Scorpius yacht with a Russian-Ukrainian crew on board was trapped in heavy ice to the north-east of the Jeannette island (the De Long Islands) in the East Siberian Sea, currently the yacht is drifting towards the east, Ukrinform agency reported on Saturday quoting the expedition’s spokeswoman Anna Subbotina.
Captain of the 29-meter (97 foot) yacht Sergei Nizovtsev said on Saturday that the yacht had not been damaged.
The crew will not send an SOS signal but just in case the crew is ready to evacuate, reported Ukrainian TV channel Inter.
“Until we come out to clean water, the danger will persist,” Nizovtsev said. “There is a positive trend, wind is getting stronger. I think in about 2-3 hours we will try to get out of this trap.”
The Scorpius left the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in September last year for a voyage around the South and the North Pole. The team's crew comprises four Russians and four Ukranians. The voyage is planned to be concluded in early 2014.
