Distressed Russian Cargo Ship Drifts in Pacific

Rescue teams have located shipwrecked refrigerator cargo vessel, Irina, after the ship was torn off anchor near Japanese-owned Kuril Island amid a raging storm and carried to the Pacific early Wednesday where she now drifts.

The area being battered by storms with waves up to 3-4 meters is preventing rescue crew from boarding the distressed Irina, which is carrying 105-tons of oil, 40-tons of diesel, 6-tons of lubricant oil, and 560-tons of fish.

PHOTO: Refrigerated cargo vessel, Irina,  Courtesy of Vesseltracker.

According to The Voice of Russia, the 92-meter-long Irina initially grounded at the stern, causing the ship’s engine to stall and the vessel to take on water.  All 19 crew aboard were evacuated and rescued following the grounding and issuing a distress signal.

The ship was then torn off anchor and thrown adrift into the Pacific by the torrential storm, and is now drifting around 25-nm from Kunashir Island, according to an official from a maritime rescue coordination center.  Two tugs, the Atlas and Suvotovets, have been unsuccessfully trying to approach Irina since early Thursday.

Irina is a refrigerated cargo ship built in 1982, owned by Pantex Trading, and managed by Brig-Star Shipping