Icebreakers free trapped Russian vessel

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Two Russian icebreakers freed a fishing factory ship from the Gulf of Sakhalin Wednesday and began piloting it to open water, a shipping company said.

The Sodruzhestvo had been stuck in the ice about 12 miles offshore before being rescued by the Krasin and the Admiral Makarov, spokeswoman Tatyana Kulikova told ITAR-Tass.

The icebreakers guided the refrigerator ship Bereg Nadezhdy (Shore of Hope) to a fairly safe area Tuesday and returned to rescue the Sodruzhestvo, she said.

Increasing winds and fading visibility in coming days are likely to hamper the operation.

The caravan of the ships is to proceed to a safe area where the icebreaker Magadan and the tanker Victoria are waiting to transfer fuel to the icebreakers over several days.