The incident left the vessel holed below the waterline and sinking close to the Ross Ice Shelf and approximately 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) south-east of New Zealand.

The air-drops allowed the 32-man crew to pump out the flooded hold, make temporary repairs and stabilise the listing ship.

The crew of Sparta, made up of 16 Indonesians, 15 Russians and a Ukrainian researcher, had to wait until 26 December 2011 when the South Korean icebreaker Araon arrived.

[6] With the ship's fate in the balance, biologist David Ainley had criticised the system of fishing permits that allowed "underpowered, single-hulled boats" to operate in the area and the costs involved in rescuing them.

[7] Ecologist Alexei Knishkikov added his concern for local marine wildlife, should any of the Sparta's 200 tons of light fuel oil leak into the sea.