The Taymyr nuclear icebreaker was clearing ice on the Yenisei River when the event occurred.
Evgeny Shatalov, one of the drivers of the Toyota pickup trucks, said the Taymyr got so close to where they were he reached out his hand and touched the ship, according to RT. Shatalov joked that it was unfortunate nobody touched the ship in the freezing temperatures with their tongue, since this may have brought good luck.
It's not entirely clear whether the Taymyr, a ship measuring 490 feet by 92 feet and displacing 21,000 tons, even saw the voyagers.
The expedition crew started their journey in the remote city of Norilsk, the northernmost city in the world with more than 100,000 residents, on January 15 and were en route to Dixon, the northernmost town in Russia, when the drive-by occurred.
