Operations are currently underway in the Strait of Gibraltar to salvage the Panamanian registered cargo ship ‘New Flame’ which partially sank after colliding with the Danish tanker the ‘Tom Gertrud’ on Sunday 12th August.
The ‘New Flame’ loaded with scrap metal was leaving Gibraltar when it came so close the the tanker that a collision was unavoidable, fortunately the double hulled tanker was not holed and it moored after the incident and the crew stayed onboard and none of its cargo of 37,000 tons of crude oil was spilt. The ‘New Flame’ however did not come off so lightly sustaining serious damage, and subsequently began to take on water in its cargo hold, with only a sandbank preventing it from sinking completely.