As of: October 27, 2023 11:25 a.m
After two freighters collided in the North Sea, investigators are looking for the cause of the serious accident. It is currently unclear what will happen to the wreck of the sunken “Verity”.
On Thursday afternoon, the multi-purpose ship “Mellum” set up a black-red-black cardinal buoy over the “Verity”. The barrel, which is illuminated at night and has two black balls on top, indicates the navigation obstacle at a depth of 30 meters. In addition, divers should shorten the foremast of the “Verity” in order to increase the water depth over the wreck and thus protect the ships on one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, as confirmed on Thursday by a spokeswoman for the General Directorate of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Roads Administration NDR Lower Saxony . We are currently discussing how this could be implemented in practice. It was still unclear whether the wreckage had to be recovered, it was said. A so-called rescue order is being worked on. To this end, the responsible waterways and shipping authority Weser-Jade-Nordsee is in discussions with the shipping company of “Verity”, the British-Dutch Faversham Ships.
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The British are leading the taking of evidence
After the fatal collision between the two freighters “Verity” and “Polesie” on Tuesday in the German Bight, the cause of the accident remains unclear. Both the German Federal Office for Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) in Hamburg and the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office are investigating. To investigate the cause, a team of German and British investigators interviewed the bridge crew of the freighter “Polesie” in Cuxhaven on Thursday, said BSU director Ulf Kaspera. The investigation is being conducted together with the freighters’ two flag states, the Bahamas and the United Kingdom. The Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), the responsible British authority, has already sent the first experts to Cuxhaven to begin collecting evidence. The MAIB is now also leading the investigation as the sunken ship “Verity” was flying the British flag.
Hamburg public prosecutor’s office is investigating
Kaspera confirmed to NDR Lower Saxony that there are radar images of the night of the accident, which are likely to play an important role in the Maritime Office hearing. Traffic and communication data should be secured and evaluated. The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office is investigating negligent homicide and endangering shipping traffic, said an authority spokeswoman.
Spilled diesel fuel floats to the surface of the water
The sunken coaster “Verity” lies at a depth of 30 meters, around 22 kilometers southwest of the offshore island of Heligoland. According to the BSU, sonar images showed that the ship was lying whole and upright on the seabed. The accident command confirmed on Wednesday that there were 127 cubic meters of marine diesel in the wreck’s tank. Around 90 liters have escaped so far, but have not yet drifted towards Helgoland or the coast.
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Sailor found dead is to be autopsied
Meanwhile, the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office announced that the body of the sailor, who was recovered dead from the North Sea shortly after the collision, will be autopsied as soon as possible. There has been no information about his identity yet. At a press conference on Wednesday, Robby Renner, head of the accident command, announced that there was no longer any hope for the four missing crew members of the “Verity”. Divers and a remote-controlled diving robot were unable to detect any signs of life on the wreck. Two crew members were rescued alive from the North Sea. The 22 crew members of the second ship involved in the collision, the “Polesie,” are “physically fine,” said Renner. The ship reached Cuxhaven under its own power.
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Busy route – and usually safe
The smaller coaster “Verity” was loaded with steel sheets on its way from Bremen to Immingham in Great Britain early on Tuesday morning. The larger bulk carrier “Polesie”, 190 meters long, sailed from Hamburg to La Coruña in Spain. The collision between the two freighters occurred in one of the busiest sea areas in the world – two internationally established shipping routes run in an east-west direction in the German Bight, as a spokeswoman for the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) said. According to the General Directorate, more than 60,000 ships travel in the German Bight every year. At the same time it is also one of the safest areas, they said. The number of accidents is “extremely low”.
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