An operation to rescue vessels, stuck in ice in the Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia's Far Eastern coast, is hampered by poor weather conditions, the Far East Shipping Company said on Friday.
Three ships have been trapped since Friday in ice up two meters thick. Two more ships became stuck on Monday but were freed two days later.
The Admiral Makarov icebreaker approached the ships on Thursday afternoon and started pulling one of the vessels to open water.
"As of 10:00 local time Friday [00:00 GMT], the vessels managed to clear the distance of 24 miles only. The operation takes place in very difficult ice and weather conditions, with northern winds, snowfalls and poor visibility," the company said in a statement.
On Monday, another icebreaker, the Magadan, was dispatched to rescue the stranded vessels, but failed to complete the mission since it did not have enough power to free the ships alone.
A third icebreaker is on its way to reach some 400 people on the three ships stuck since last week, who have sufficient fuel, food and water.
VLADIVOSTOK, January 7 (RIA Novosti)
