Drifting for funding

Maritime TV and Radio broadcasting company (Vladivostok, Russia) reports that on Tuesday, the 9th of November 2004 rescue vessel "Yuri Orlenko" towed research vessel "Professor Bogorov" to port Slavyanka. RV "Professor Bogorov" (home port Vladivostok) was drifting in the Sea of Japan for two days because of the failure of the main engine. She started drifting on Sunday, 160 nm from the port of Nahodka (Russia).

Nothing special, right? Well, at the time of the incident the crew of the RV "Professor Bogorov" were running a commercial cruise, delivering a shipment of cars from Japan. Why? In order to secure funding for future scientific expeditions. And you though you did not have money for ship time...