1 person is confirmed to have died and 4 remain missing after 2 cargo ships collided off the coast of Germany in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday).
1 of the ships involved – ‘Verity’ – belongs to Faversham Ships Ltd based in East Cowes and left Bremen yesterday morning bound for Immingham in Lincolnshire.
It is understood to have sunk after colliding with the larger Bahamian-flagged ship ‘Polesie’ in the early hours of the morning.
The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service has issued the following statement:
“The accident command currently assumes that the ‘Verity’ sank as a result of the collision. So far, 2 people have been rescued in the search for the shipwrecked people of the freighter ‘Verity’ in the German Bight. Another man could only be rescued dead.
“There were a total of 7 people on board the ‘Verity’. 4 are still missing and the search for the missing people is ongoing. According to current knowledge, the 22 people on board the ‘Polesie’ are uninjured.”
UPDATE @ 16:00 – Reuters in Berlin have reported the following from a press conference held earlier by the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies:
“Divers are looking for signs of life on a freighter that sank in the North Sea after colliding with another vessel, a spokesperson for the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said on Tuesday.
Article continues below this advertisement “The 4 missing crew members may be alive and sheltering inside the vessel on the sea floor, the spokesperson said during a press conference alongside the German maritime search and rescue service.
“The Verity was carrying steel and had 1,300 cubic metres of diesel on board, the spokesperson added.”
UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY – The divers searching for signs of life yesterday were unsuccessful after being hampered by difficult conditions and the search for the 4 missing crew members has now been called off by German authorities.
Very sad thoughts with the families and hope for further rescues and thoughts with nick sice
abby
Very sad indeed, but how does this even happen in a world with radar and GPS? Someone is responsible for this.
Ship used to belong to them was sold and is only managed by Favisham now