Sakhalin freighter gets in distress in Sea of Japan

VLADIVOSTOK, May 2 (Itar-Tass) -- The Mikhail Lukonin freighter of the
Sakhalin shipping company loaded with metal scrap en route to a South
Korean port got in distress in the Sea of Japan (the East Sea) overnight
to Monday.
The main engine failed on the freighter amid a storm with high waves
of 2-2.5 meter high and high winds of 13-15 meters per second and the
Mikhail Lukonin sent the SOS signals. The Vladivostok sea rescue
coordination center dispatched the Pioneer of Kholmsk big ship of the
Sakhalin shipping company for help to the freighter. The transport vessel
is towing the Mikhail Lukonin to the Dzhigit Bay in northern Primorsky
Territory.
The call-up center of the Sakhalin shipping company reported that the
Mikhail Lukonin freighter belongs to river-sea-going vessels. The
freighter is 120 meters long and the load capacity of about 5,000 tonnes.
The freighter crew is made up of 19 sailors. The lives of the crewmen are
out of danger. The Pioneer of Kholmsk is planning to tow the Mikhail
Lukonin in the Dzhigit Bay, which is safe from the winds and waves, on
Monday afternoon.