ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Crews on Monday started trying to right a Dutch cargo ship and search for the last of three crew members who went missing when the vessel tipped in the Hudson River earlier this month.

Masts on the 289-foot ship were fastened to two cranes put in place to raise the vessel to a 45-degree angle. Salvagers then planned to seal off the ship’s hold and pump water from the partially sunken vessel, Albany Police Detective James Miller said.

Once the vessel is standing, divers will resume searching for the body of Victor Alexeev, 46, the only crewmember that remains missing, Miller said.

The body of sailor Sulieman Khasenvich, 43, was recovered by divers Dec. 17, after more than a week in the frigid water at the Port of Albany. The body of his shipmate, Yuri Akofin, 48, was found by salvage divers a day earlier.

All three men were from St. Petersburg, Russia.

Eighteen crewmembers were aboard at the time of the Dec. 9 accident. Fifteen were rescued immediately from the river and the ship.

Miller said it was unclear how long the salvage operation would take.

“Divers will be standing by as they right it,” he said. “If they see any signs of a body, they’ll go back in.”

Built in 1982 and flagged in the Dutch Antilles, the ship tipped as a 308-ton generator was being loaded onto it. Officials said before the vessel could be completely righted, a second turbine inside the ship must first be removed.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officials also were on scene Monday to mitigate any environmental problems that might occur during salvage operations.

Thousands of gallons of diesel fuel that spilled into the river during the accident were pumped from the water in the days following the mishap.

The Stellamare is owned by Jumbo Shipping Inc., which has done business at the Port of Albany for 30 years.

Investigators still haven’t determined the exact cause of the accident.