VLADIVOSTOK, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - The crew of a Russian vessel owned by the Arctic shipping company are threatening to go on hunger strike over wage arrears, the Russian sailors' trade union said on Wednesday.

Russian prosecutors earlier established that the Arctic shipping company had not paid wages to its 292 employees since April, and currently owes 16.9 million rubles ($538,560).

"[The owner] is three to four months in wage arrears... We are launching procedures for calling a general strike among the crews of vessels owned by the Arctic shipping company. We will appeal directly to the Russian president. If it does not help, we will go on a hunger strike," the crew of the Maksim Ammosov ship said in an address to the trade union.

However, the ship is continuing to ship timber. It is currently getting ready to leave the village of Ternei in Russia's Far East Primorye Territory for South Korea's Busan, according to a trade union official in Vladivostok.

Public labor inspectors in the Russian Far Eastern republic of Yakutia earlier imposed a 30,000 ruble ($956) fine on the shipping company for labor code violations over wage arrears.

The company has not yet provided an official comment.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered measures in late August to look into the situation concerning two merchant ships, also owned by the Arctic shipping company, which are being held in China over debts.