A ship with 30 crew on board sent a distress...

"The information that the refrigerator ship had become iced-in was received by the emergencies department of the Sakhalin Region at 07:40 Moscow time," the official said.

All crew members on board the vessel are Russians, he said, adding that bad weather conditions could hamper any rescue operation.

He said that emergency and maritime rescue officials were "exploring the possibility of involving ships located in the area...to conduct a rescue operation."

A local rescue center official said the trapped vessel had lost power and was unable to move.

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 22 (RIA Novosti)