Listing Vessel on Collision Course with France

While carrying around 300 tonnes of fuel, a Panamanian cargo ship began listing on Tuesday January 26, 2016 at an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees and is currently heading towards the French coast, unless authorities can intervene before it hits the French Coast, according to the BBC.

22 crew members were airlifted off the vessel after a distress call and if the ship fails to be safely guided from the shore, it will run aground on the France’s South West coast between Monday and Tuesday.

Emmanuel De Oliveira, of the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, said it was “totally impossible to put the cargo ship upright”.

It was previously reported that a Maersk ship had run aground in the Suez Canal, which caused trade flows to be blocked for around seven hours.

A major incident also took place in the UK around this time in 2015, where the Hoegh Osaka had been grounded in the Solent Strait, following reports that it was beginning to capsize.

Watch a video of the incident here: 

(Source: Associated British Press / YouTube)