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Cargo ship sinks after collision off Dutch coast | Cargo ship sinks after collision off Dutch coast |
(35 minutes later) | |
Dutch coastguards are mounting a major rescue operation in the North Sea after a cargo ship sank following a collision. | Dutch coastguards are mounting a major rescue operation in the North Sea after a cargo ship sank following a collision. |
The accident took place off the coast of Belgium and the Netherlands, after the Baltic Ace sailed from Zeebrugge. | |
Some of the 24 crew members of the Baltic Ace have been rescued, but 11 are still missing in freezing waters. | Some of the 24 crew members of the Baltic Ace have been rescued, but 11 are still missing in freezing waters. |
A helicopter with infrared cameras has joined the search as strong winds and high winds make conditions difficult. | |
"We are feverishly looking for 11 missing crew members of the Baltic Ace which sank earlier. So far we have rescued 13," Dutch coastguard spokesman Marcel Oldenburger told the Agence France-Presse news agency, | |
The Baltic Ace was sailing under a Bahamas flag. It was transporting cars from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Kotka in Finland when it collided with the Cyprus-registered container ship, the Corvus J, sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to the Belgian port of Antwerp. | The Baltic Ace was sailing under a Bahamas flag. It was transporting cars from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Kotka in Finland when it collided with the Cyprus-registered container ship, the Corvus J, sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to the Belgian port of Antwerp. |
The Corvus J is said to be badly damaged but not in danger of sinking. All 12 crew members are still on board. | The Corvus J is said to be badly damaged but not in danger of sinking. All 12 crew members are still on board. |
The Dutch coastguard said the cause of the collision, which happened at 1815GMT, was not yet known. | The Dutch coastguard said the cause of the collision, which happened at 1815GMT, was not yet known. |
"We have found life rafts, and the people in them are being picked up by helicopters," said spokesman Peter Verburg. | "We have found life rafts, and the people in them are being picked up by helicopters," said spokesman Peter Verburg. |
The shipping lane where the accident happened is one of the busiest in the North Sea, about 100km (60 miles) from the port of Rotterdam port, Europe's busiest. | The shipping lane where the accident happened is one of the busiest in the North Sea, about 100km (60 miles) from the port of Rotterdam port, Europe's busiest. |
But a spokesman for the port said its activities would not be affected by the collision. | But a spokesman for the port said its activities would not be affected by the collision. |