Update: Russian Ship Stranded in Antarctica Stabilized (VIDEO)

The 32-man crew of the stricken Sparta has managed to stabilize the ship stranded next to the Antarctic ice shelf after she began to take on water and list 13 degrees on Friday. 

The crew, who was airlifted supplies over the weekend, has fixed mooring lines to the ice shelf to help steady the 48-meter long Sparta and kept water from entering the 30-cm hole in the hull using new pumps delivered to the ship. 

Although the ship is stable and in no immediate danger of sinking, the crew has requested more equipment to continue repairing the damaged hull after a Royal New Zealand Air Force plane dropped supplies on Saturday.  The RNZAF C130 Hercules will be returning with more supplies for the Sparta, as rescue ships are still days away due to heavy ice impeding their paths to the stranded fishing vessel.

Neville Blakemore of the RNZAF rescue mission said that while the crew is keeping ahead of the incoming water, they are having difficulties trying to the patch the damage to the hull. He added that the rescue team’s main goal is to keep the crewmen on board the ship where they have the best chance of survival.

Watch the video below for more information on the Sparta.

 

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