Disabled Dutch Cargo Ship Under Tow Off Scotland

AIS data from MarineTraffic shows the MV Myrte under tow by the tug Tystie as of Wednesday night. Screengrab courtesy MarineTraffic.com

A Dutch cargo ship was adrift overnight in the North Sea after a small engine room fire disabled the vessel off Shetland’s Fair Isle.

According to media reports, the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship MV Myrte suffered an engine room fire late Tuesday afternoon while underway approximately 12 miles southeast of Fair Isle, leaving the ship without propulsion with nine crewmembers onboard.

A harbor tug from Sullom Voe, the MV Tystie, was able to attach to the vessel Wednesday morning and is towing the disabled ship to Britain’s Lerwick Harbour.

The 7,100 DWT MV Myrte was traveling from Invergordon to Lerwick with a cargo of pipes for the oil industry when it broke down, BBC reports.

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 109,116 members