A British cargo ship has reportedly sunk following a collision with a Bahamas-flagged vessel, resulting in several crew members being unaccounted for.
The collision occurred in the early hours of 24 October, approximately 14 miles southwest of Germany’s island of Helgoland, as Sky News reported.
The German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies is overseeing the situation.
The British-flagged Verity was en route from Bremen to the Port of Immingham in northeast Lincolnshire when the collision took place. Meanwhile, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, which was travelling from Hamburg to La Coruña in Spain, managed to remain afloat.
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Initial reports from Sky News indicate that a dead body has been recovered and two people from the Verity have been rescued from the water and are currently receiving medical attention.
Search and rescue efforts are underway to locate the remaining unaccounted crew members. Several ships have been deployed in the area to assist in these efforts.
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The P&O cruise ship Iona, which departs from Southampton and was originally headed for Rotterdam, has halted its journey in the vicinity of the last-known location of the Verity to actively assist in the ongoing rescue mission.
A representative from P&O Cruises has officially acknowledged the ship’s involvement in the search and rescue operation, according to Sky News.
