Moscow: All the 14 members of the Panama-flagged Rise Shine container ship that ran aground in the Sea of Japan in Russia’s Far Eastern Primorsky region were evacuated, the rescue operation was completed, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Tuesday.
The vessel ran aground off the coast of Russia’s Nakhodka with 14 crew members on board, all of whom are Chinese citizens. According to the Russian Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport, the vessel was ruptured. Evacuation is hampered by strong waves.
“Rescuers landed in the hard-to-reach area from a height of 20-25 meters [65-82 feet] from Mi-8 helicopters of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the coordination search and rescue centre. All the 14 crew members were lifted aboard the helicopter with special devices. The people were brought to the shore. The rescue operation was carried out in tough weather conditions with gusts of wind of up to 15 meters per second and waves reaching up to 2.5-3 meters,” the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement.
