A New Zealand air force plane on Monday dropped fuel and pumping equipment beside a Russian fishing vessel stranded in an Antarctic ice shelf and taking on water because of a hole in its hull.

The supplies dropped by a Royal New Zealand Air Force C130 Hercules will help the crew of the Sparta to stabilise the ship until other ships arrive to help them. The plane flew from Christchurch and took seven hours to reach the Sparta.

The Sparta is listing in a portion of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, about 3,700 kilometres from New Zealand. Its hull below the waterline has a 30-centimetre (one foot) hole where water is entering. The 15 Russian, 16 Indonesian and a Ukrainian crew were pumping water out of the ship and have attached mooring lines to the ice to keep it stable until rescue arrives.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said three ships are on their way to Sparta but it will take days to reach the latter's position, according to BBC.

The nearest is the Norwegian vessel Sel Jevaer only 33 kilometres away. But it is stranded in ice and could not proceed.

Sparta's sister ship, Chiyo Maru no. 3 is 185 kilometres away, according to RCCNZ while the New Zealand vessel San Aspiring is four days away.

Sparta's owner has commissioned the South Korean icebreaker Araon in New Zealand to assist the fishing vessel but it is 2,963 kilometres away and will take six days to reach Sparta's position, the RCCNZ said.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules delivered pumping equipment and fuel to the stricken Sparta.