A Russian fuel tanker has reached an iced-in town in the U.S. state of Alaska to deliver emergency fuel supplies.

A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker guided the ship, the Renda, through hundreds of kilometers of sea ice.

U.S. officials say the Russian fuel ship is now about 10 kilometers off the coast of Alaska and that the fuel will be transferred to the town early Saturday.

The Russian ship, which is carrying nearly five million liters of fuel, was granted special approval to join the rescue,

as normally only U.S.-owned and operated vessels are allowed to make such deliveries.

Residents in the Alaskan town of Nome did not get their usual pre-winter supply of fuel after a previous storm blocked the shipment.