BUENOS AIRES, November 29. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in Argentina has reached out to the passengers of the SH Diana cruise liner, which was forced to cut its voyage to Antarctica short due to a malfunction to one of its electric motors, and engaged its contacts in the Latin American republic to assist in settling the situation, the diplomatic mission told TASS.

"Currently, we are addressing the concerns of Russian citizens aboard the ship, some of whom confirmed that they went on a hunger strike. In order to help resolve the situation, we engaged our contacts in the Tierra del Fuego Province where the liner is expected to dock on December 1," the embassy said.

The diplomatic mission said that they are in touch with the company organizing the cruise as well as with the Russian citizens onboard the vessel. "Onboard systems are functioning normally, the crew and coastal services have the situation under control. Weather conditions are pleasant. There is no threat to the passengers’ safety," the embassy added.

Earlier, the Times reported that Russian passengers onboard SH Diana had declared a hunger strike, demanding a full refund for the interrupted cruise. Swan Hellenic, which owns the ship, confirmed the malfunction and said that the cruise participants were offered a 50% refund or a certificate for 65% off another cruise. The company also confirmed that not all clients had agreed to these terms.