Seven Men Rescued After Small Containership Collides With Chemical Tanker

Seven crewmembers of the small containership, Florece, were rescued from liferafts early this morning after the vessel sank following a collision with a larger chemical tanker owned by Tsakos Group, the Afrodite.  The collision occurred at about 3:30 this morning 240 miles south-south-west of Lands End in the UK.

Falmouth Coastguard were alerted to the incident after the Florece crew set off an EPIRB, alerting the coast guard to their position, as the vessel began to sink.  After contacting the master of the Afrodite, the coast guard was informed that the men had abandoned into liferafts the crew of the Afrodite attempted to deploy the vessels fast rescue craft but were unsuccessful.

The Falmouth Coastguard said that coastguards from Spain, France, the U.S., as well as the Maersk Kampala, all coordinated in the response.  The seven men, who are a mixture of Russian, Polish and Ukranian, were eventually rescued by the containership Ocean Titan with no injuries.

The chemical tanker sustained little damage and was not taking water

“Satellite technology and modern communications made all the difference with this incident, meaning that we were able to pinpoint the location of the sinking ship, call the nearest vessel and coordinate a response within minutes,” said Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager Terry Collins of the recue.

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