Crew of stricken Russian fishing ship on lifeboats

A Russian fishing boat in trouble in icy Antarctic waters has dispatched some crew onto lifeboats "as a precaution", rescue officials say. The Sparta is holed beneath the waterline and stuck in heavy sea ice, about 2,000 nautical miles (3,704km) south-east of New Zealand. A number of ships are on their way to assist the vessel but the nearest could take days to reach it. A military plane spent about an hour above the stricken ship earlier. The C-130 Hercules plane "made contact with Sparta as well as assessing the ice conditions in the area", said Ramon Davis of the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) in a news release. But he earlier warned the plane would not be able to rescue the crew, saying the best option remained sending another vessel to their aid. He added the 32-strong crew had immersion suits which would help them survive if they were forced to abandon ship. Cargo overboard The first distress call from the Sparta was picked up at about 0300 New Zealand time on Friday (Thursday 1400 GMT), when it was confirmed the ship was taking on water. It has a 30cm (1-ft) hole in the hull beneath the water line and is said to be listing at an angle of 13 degrees. The crew comprise 15 Russians (including the captain), 16 Indonesians and a Ukrainian, AFP news agency reported. They were throwing cargo overboard to lighten the ship, and some had boarded lifeboats as a precaution, the RCCNZ said. Remaining crew are pumping water out of the ship and had attached a tarpaulin over the outside of the hole in an attempt to keep the water out, it said. They had requested that additional pumps be sent to help. There are no helicopters in the area and rescue authorities say the best option is for another vessel to come to Sparta's aid. But all three tasked with assisting are facing difficulties reaching the ship, said RCCNZ: