By James Simons-
A British cargo ship, the Verity, has tragically sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision in the North Sea, leaving several individuals unaccounted for.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, approximately 13 miles southwest of the island of Helgoland, according to Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies.
The collision involved two vessels: the British-flagged Verity and the Bahamas-flagged Polesie. Initial reports suggest that the Verity, the smaller of the two ships at 91 meters (almost 300 feet) in length, has tragically sunk.
The ship had been en route from Bremen to the port of Immingham in northeast Lincolnshire.
Amid the chaos of the accident, one individual was successfully rescued from the water and is currently receiving medical treatment. However, several others remain unaccounted for, and rescuers are working tirelessly to locate them.
The Polesie, a larger vessel measuring 190 meters, was heading from Hamburg to La Coruña in Spain and remained afloat with 22 people on board.
Numerous ships have been dispatched to scour the area for survivors, as the search and rescue operation intensifies. According to Germany’s transport minister, Volker Wissing, “The emergency services are doing everything they can to rescue the missing people.
My thoughts are with the crew members, their relatives, and the rescue teams who have been in action since early this morning.”
The P&O cruise ship Iona has also joined the search for survivors. Iona, which departed from Southampton three days ago with destinations including Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Bruges in Belgium, is providing assistance as well as medical care to those involved in the collision.
In addition, the emergency command has deployed a sensor aircraft to gather crucial information regarding the Verity’s whereabouts. The search, however, faces adverse weather conditions, including 30mph winds and 10-foot waves, which are hampering rescue efforts.