Cargo ship pulled clear of Tricolor wreck
Monday, 16 December 2002 14:29
A cargo ship which ran into The Tricolor overnight has been pulled clear of the wreck. The Tricolor, a Norwegian container vessel, sank in the English Channel on Saturday.
The Nicola, a 3,000 tonne ship registered in the Dutch Antilles, collided with the wreck of The Tricolor between 2am and 3am, despite a beacon on top of the sunken vessel.
The latest ship was stuck fast on top of the wreck while authorities waited for the next tide to help float it off. Two tugboats pulled The Nicola clear before high tide.
The Tricolor, which was transporting nearly 2,862 cars worth more than ¤50m, keeled over after colliding with a Bahamas-registered container vessel in thick fog. It is now lying in about 25 metres of water.
All 24 crew members were rescued before The Tricolor sank at the entrance of the Dover Strait between England and France.
The Belgian coastguard said there was slight leakage from The Tricolor but the Belgian sea rescue service said it was not aware any oil had spilled.
The wreck lies in the middle of the busiest shipping lane in the world and the owners of The Tricolor have been told they must take prompt action to have it refloated and removed.
- 1.00 News: John O'Driscoll reports on the collision
- 9.00 News: Watch the report
