Stricken cargo ship Modern Express en route to Spanish port
Xinhua, February 3, 2016 Adjust font size:
Stricken cargo vessel, the Modern Express, is en route to the port of Bilbao in northern Spain on Wednesday as part of an ongoing salvage operation.
The 164-meter-long vessel, which is registered in Panama, was carrying a cargo of 3,500 tons of timber when it sent out a distress call on January 26, saying it was listing at an angle of between 40-50 degrees after some of its cargo came loose below decks.
The 22-man crew were airlifted to safety and the ship began seven days adrift in rough seas which pushed it towards the French coast, raising fears it would run aground and cause an environmental catastrophe if the 300 tons of fuel oil in its tanks escaped.
With the ship just 44 kilometers (27 nautical miles) from the French coast on Monday, members of a salvage team from the Dutch company SMIT Salvage were lowered onto its decks by helicopter and got a line on board.
The Spanish tug 'Centaurus' then begin towing the Modern Express west towards Bilbao at a speed reported by Lloyds List to be 2 knots. By Tuesday night the ship was 10 nautical miles from Bilbao, where it was expected to dock on Wednesday afternoon. Endit