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Rescue Mission After Chemical Tanker Crash
2:39pm Friday October 08, 2010
Andy Winter
A chemical tanker with 6,000 tons of solvent on board has collided with a massive cargo ship in the English Channel.
All 13 crew members have been rescued
The crash happened at 4.30am around 60 miles off Finistere on the north western coast of France. The 120m-long YM Uranus is carrying a cargo of highly flammable heavy pygas - a type of gasoline. It has a level of toxicity but evaporates quickly. Uranus' manager, V.Ships, has said there are no reports of pollution. According to maritime services in Brest, all 13 crew from the vessel have been rescued.
The crash happened around 35 miles off the coast of France
They apparently abandoned ship in lifeboats after the crash and were then picked up by helicopter. The cargo ship involved - the Panama-registered Hanjin Rizhao - is around 25 times the size of the 7,000-ton Uranus. Early French media reports claimed the tanker was in "great difficulty" - but it is now being towed to Brest. V.Ships spokesman Patrick Adamson told Sky News: "There's no further ingress of water and there is no likelihood of the vessel sinking."
