The British cargo ship Verity has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany
(NEWS5/AFP via Getty Images)
One person has died and four are still missing off the coast of Germany after a British cargo ship collided with another boat in the North Sea.
The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 miles south-west of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.
German authorities say four people remain missing and two have been rescued.
Verity was headed from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of Immingham. The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board.
A P&O crusie called the Iona which was travelling from Hamburg is helping with the urgent rescue mission as German officials confirmed te
According to reports, people on board were panicked when there was an announcement at 6am this morning alerting customers to the incident.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “P&O Cruises Iona is currently involved in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Germany.
“The incident is ongoing and Iona’s cooperation complies with international maritime law as well as being consistent with the company’s moral and legal obligations.”
The emergency command said one person was rescued from the water and was being given medical treatment.
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In Photos – P&O ship the Iona scanning the water near to where the British cargo ship Verity sank
The P&O cruise the Iona is involved with the help and rescue mission
(PA Wire)
Cruise goers were awoken to a Captain’s alert telling them about the collision this morning, reveal reports
(PA Wire)
Four of the seven sailors who were on board the Verity remain missing
(PA Wire)
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 14:00
What we know so far
One sailor has died and several others remain missing after a British cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision.
Two cargo ships crashed into each other in the North Sea, with a search currently ongoing for survivors.
One body has been recovered and another two people have been rescued, while four crew members remain missing.
Read the full report by Holly Evans here
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 13:37
How many sailors were on the Verity?
Seven people had been on board the Verity, the central command said, adding that a search was ongoing for the four missing. The Polesie had 22 people on board, none of whom were injured, the central command said.
One rescued man was taken to a hospital on land and the other was on his way to hospital on board the German maritime rescue cruiser Hermann Marwede, it added.
The Verity cargo ship had departed from Bremen, Germany
( (Alamy/PA))
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 12:42
One dead in North Sea cargo ship collision
One dead body has been recovered and two people have been rescued in a search and rescue mission after two freighters collided in the North Sea off the coast of Germany, the maritime emergency authority said today.
Seven people were on board the ship Verity, the Central Command for Maritime Services said in a statement, adding that the search was ongoing for the remaining four missing persons.
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 12:03
Number of people missing confirmed
Six people have been confirmed missing after one vessel sank in the early hours this morning say German authorities.
The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 22 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.One of the ships, the British-flagged Verity, is believed to have sunk.
The emergency command said one person was rescued from the water and was being given medical treatment, and rescuers were searching for more. It later said seven people had been on board the ship and six were missing, German news agency dpa reported.
Wind turbines in Helgoland in the German North Sea
(Christian Charisius/Reuters)
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 11:31
P&O share update after their cruise joins rescue mission
The cruise liner Iona which was returning from Hamburg and headed towards Rotterdam is helping with the rescue mission.
According to reports, people on board were panicked when there was an announcement at 6am this morning alerting customers to what had happened.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “P&O Cruises Iona is currently involved in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Germany.
“The incident is ongoing and Iona’s cooperation complies with international maritime law as well as being consistent with the company’s moral and legal obligations.
“Iona is scheduled to be at sea today and this event should have no impact upon tomorrow’s scheduled call to Rotterdam or the onward itinerary.”
(Getty Images)
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 10:59
German transport minister shares his support
Volker Wissing shared his gratitude to the rescue mission who have been searching the area since the early hours of this morning.
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 10:36
How big is the boat?
The sunken Verity ship is a substantial 91 meters (299 feet) long and 14 meters (46 feet) wide.
The Verity and Polesie collided in the early hours of Tuesday roughly 14 miles off the coast of Heligoland.
(Darren B Hillman/CC BY-ND 2.0)
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 10:34
What we know so far
A British cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision, with several people missing as rescuers search for survivors.
Two cargo ships crashed into each other in the North Sea, according to German authorities.
The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 nautical miles south-west of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.
The British-flagged Verity, apparently sank, while the Polesie remains waterborne with its 22 passengers.
One person was rescued from the water and is being given medical treatment, while rescue parties are searching for several more people who remain unaccounted for.
Read the full report by Holly Evans here
Lydia Patrick24 October 2023 10:24