A tanker carrying 6,000 tonnes of solvent is being towed after a collision with a freighter forced its crew to abandon ship, maritime officials said.
The 120m (400') Maltese-flagged YM Uranus was 'taking in large amounts of water' after an apparent collision with a bulk carrier 50 nautical miles south-west off the island of Ouessant, they said.
The coast guard said the ship's 13-member crew took to the life rafts shortly before dawn from where they were winched to safety by helicopter.
They were airlifted to Lanveoc Poulmic, south of Brest.
‘We have not yet seen any pollution’ around the tanker', the coast guard said.
The 'Uranus', which had been listing heavily to port, was connected to a French tug which was towing the vessel slowly to Brest.
The vessel was travelling between Porto Marghera in Italy and Amsterdam.
The tanker apparently collided with the 'Hanjin Richzad', a 191m Panama-flagged cargo ship, which was travelling between Las Palmas in Spain and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
