ATHENS - A Greek navy frigate towed a Russian military ship to safety after the vessel sent out a distress signal in the Aegean sea on Monday, GreeceÂ’s Merchant Marine Ministry said.
‘The towing process has started with the Greek navy frigate, and the ship will be towed to the port of Agios Kirikos on the island of Ikaria,’ a ministry official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. He said the ship’s 88 crew were in a good condition and two Super Puma helicopters and a C-130 transport plane were in the area monitoring the situation.
The Russian navy repair ship had sent out a mayday signal after engines failed in strong winds off the eastern Aegean island of Ikaria in international waters. ‘The ship has lost all of its power,’ a Russian navy spokesman said by telephone. ‘There are no weapons on board. The condition of the crew is satisfactory,’ the spokesman said. ‘The engine trouble was caused by strong storm conditions in the Aegean,’ he said.
| "Uh...had a slight weapons malfunction. But, uh, everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?" |
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