Accidents
Second dive on the sunken freighter “Verity”
The tug “Wulf9” and the diving vessel “Vina” are traveling in the wreck area of the sunken “Verity” southwest of Heligoland. photo
© -/Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV)/dpa
On October 24th, the freighters “Verity” and “Polesie” collided in the North Sea. The “Verity” sank. Divers are now checking whether there are leaks on the wreck – and whether there are still dead people on board.
Divers explore the sunken freighter again on Sunday “Verity” southwest of Helgoland. “The divers are currently in the water to continue the planned work,” said a spokeswoman for the General Directorate of Waterways and Shipping on Sunday afternoon. During a first dive on Saturday evening, the experts inspected the masts of the wreck in particular.
The multi-purpose ship “Mellum” of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration pulled in a so-called single danger buoy on Sunday morning, as the General Directorate further announced. The black and red, illuminated barrel marks the restricted area for shipping traffic and should be repositioned. The restricted area remains half a nautical mile.
According to the authority, the divers are checking, among other things, whether there are still dead sailors on board the sunken ship. On October 24th, the “Verity” and the freighter “Polesie” collided in the North Sea. The “Verity” sank. Authorities believe that five sailors died in the accident. Four of them are still missing.
Experts should also investigate whether there are leaks on the wreck that require action. Two working days were initially planned for the operation. In the medium term, both the ship and its cargo should be brought to safety. The owner of the wreck was tasked with removing it.