British Cargo Ship Verity Sinks in North Sea: Body Recovered, Four Still Missing
A British cargo ship heading to the Port of Immingham has sunk in the North Sea with one body recovered. There is still hope that more survivors will be found
A British cargo ship called Verity traveling towards the Port of Immingham near Grimsby has sunk in the North Sea after colliding with another vessel off the German Coast today, according to reports.
It has sadly been announced that one body has been recovered one four people are still missing. However, two people have been rescued.
The British flagged ship collided with Polesie in the early hours of the morning about 14 miles south-west of the island of Helgoland.
The Verity, a 91-meter-long ship flying the British flag, sank as a result of the impact. Polesie, a larger vessel measuring 190 meters in length, remained afloat with 22 people on board. The exact circumstances leading to the collision are still under investigation.
As soon as the collision occurred, a search and rescue operation was initiated. Two individuals were rescued from the Verity, and one of them was immediately taken to a hospital on land.
The search for the remaining four missing crew members continues, with several ships, including the German Sea Rescue Society’s sea rescue cruisers Hermann Marwede and Bernhard Gruben, joining the efforts.
The P&O cruise ship Iona, which was in the vicinity of the collision, immediately joined the search and rescue operation.
The ship, which had left Southampton three days prior with destinations including Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Bruges, became actively involved in the mission.
Passengers aboard the Iona reported witnessing distressing scenes, and the ship’s crew displayed professionalism throughout the incident.
The Iona, equipped with medical personnel and facilities, provided assistance during the rescue operation. There were reports of the ship recovering three bodies from the water, further highlighting the gravity of the situation.
The presence of the Iona and its involvement in the rescue efforts brought some relief to the crew members and passengers stranded in the North Sea.
Passenger Gary Corbin onboard P&O Iona wrote on Facebook: “Two freighters have collided close by us. Iona has picked up 3 bodies. There are helicopters and rescue ships by us. We are involved in the search and rescue operation Not moving at moment.” Another holidaymaker Clive Baker said on Facebook: “Got woken by captain’s announcement at 5am this morning that we were pausing to assist if required. Several missing by the sounds of it.”
Cathering Cox said her 81-year-old mother was onboard the Iona. She wrote on Twitter: “My Mum and daughter are also on board. I received a call from them this morning to tell me about it. Desperately sad. My Mum has been told by the crew that the ship won’t make Rotterdam until tomorrow night now.
“The rescue started at around 3am with the ship slowing quickly to help. It seems that Iona followed the Polesie out of Hamburg. Initially, it was hoped they would be able to carry on to Rotterdam for tomorrow morning.
“She has just been told they won’t now make it until early evening at the earliest. On board it is calm, and everyone is understanding of the circumstances. There are approximately 10 ships/helicopters involved in the rescue at the moment.”
The search and rescue mission for the missing crew members is still underway. The German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies is coordinating the operation, utilizing various resources.
Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said. One of the ships, the British-flagged Verity, sank.
In an update it stated: “Two people were rescued during the search for the shipwrecked people of the freighter VERITY in the German Bight. Another man could only be rescued dead.
“One rescued person has already been taken to a hospital on land, the other rescued person was brought on board the sea rescue cruiser of the German Sea Rescue Society ((DGzRS)) HERMANN MARWEDE; he is now on the way to a hospital. There were a total of seven people on board the VARITY. Four people are still missing and the search for the missing people is ongoing.”
Sea rescue cruisers, emergency tugs, pilot tenders, and water police boats, along with SAR helicopters, are actively engaged in the search. Notably, the sea rescue cruiser Hermann Marwede is taking charge of coordinating the efforts on-site.
Despite challenging weather conditions, including winds of six Beaufort and three-meter-high seas, the search teams remain determined to locate the missing crew members.
The emergency command has also deployed a DO228 sensor aircraft to gather additional information and aid in the search. The involvement of multiple vessels and helicopters demonstrates the comprehensive approach being taken to find the remaining crew members.
