The 82-meter-long general cargo vessel Britannica Hav capsized and turned over following a collision with a fishing vessel on March 20 in the English Channel.
The cargo ship, which is now adrift, collided with the Belgium-flagged fishing vessel Deborah in the afternoon hours some 50 nautical miles northeast of the Cherbourg coast, according to France’s Maritime Prefect.
All seven of the vessel’s crew members managed to leave the ship before it sank, and were later safely evacuated by helicopter to land.
The Malta-flagged Britannica Hav suffered damage to its center port side, while four 15-by-20-foot bilge boards were separated from the vessel and were reported adrift.
At the time of the incident, the cargo vessel was loaded with some 1,955 tonnes of steel and had 48 tons of light diesel fuel on board. Maritime Prefect informed that an oil sheen was spotted at the site following the incident.
The captain of the fishing vessel sustained a minor head injury, however, no other injuries to the crew were reported.
World Maritime News Staff