Cargo ship Verity crash - latest: P&O passenger cruise diverted to help in North Sea search after fatal crash

Rescuers are racing to find several missing people

Rescuers search sunken British ship for signs of life after fatal North Sea collision

Rescue divers are searching for signs of life on a British cargo boat that crashed and sank this morning as four sailors remain missing.

One sailor has died and two have been rescued, reveal German authorities.

The four missing crew members may be alive and sheltering inside the vessel on the sea floor, the spokesperson said during a press conference alongside the German maritime search and rescue service.

The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 miles south-west of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.

Verity was headed from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of Immingham. The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board.

A P&O cruise called the Iona which was travelling from Hamburg is helping with the urgent rescue mission, confirmed officals.

According to reports, passengers were panicked when there was an onboard Captain announcement at 6am this morning.

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “P&O Cruises Iona is currently involved in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Germany.

“The incident is ongoing and Iona’s cooperation complies with international maritime law as well as being consistent with the company’s moral and legal obligations.”

Missing cargo ship updates

• One dead in North Sea cargo ship collision
• A map of marine traffic
• P&O liner joins rescue mission
• A map to show where the ship sunk
• What we know so far

[24 October 2023 10:24 · Lydia Patrick]

What we know so far

A British cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision, with several people missing as rescuers search for survivors.

Two cargo ships crashed into each other in the North Sea, according to German authorities.

The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 nautical miles south-west of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.

The British-flagged Verity, apparently sank, while the Polesie remains waterborne with its 22 passengers.

One person was rescued from the water and is being given medical treatment, while rescue parties are searching for several more people who remain unaccounted for.

Read the full report by Holly Evans here

[24 October 2023 10:20 · Lydia Patrick]

A map to show where the ship sunk

View more

[24 October 2023 10:05 · Lydia Patrick]

P&O liner joins rescue mission

A P&O spokesperson told The Sun their cruise ship Iona has joined the search mission as they try to find missing people.

They are also providing medical help for anyone in need on board the cruiser.

Rhys Johnson, 24, a passenger on the Iona, told The Sun that those onboard were woken just before 6am with an announcement that the crew were helping with the search and rescue operation.

Mr Johnson told The Sun: “There are helicopters, search vessels and two of our RHIBs helping.

“People are saying...the British ship has sunk. It’s incredibly distressing.

“We set off for Rotterdam from Hamburg yesterday, and we were about 200 metres away from the ships.

“Everyone on here is sad and concerned and in a state of panic.”

[24 October 2023 09:47 · Lydia Patrick]

Map of marine traffic

A map to show when the British ship Verity was last seen.

The green arrow on the right is the Verity, it’s last position was received five hours and 40 mins ago.

The green arrow to the left is the Bahamas-flagged Polesie which remained afloat after the collision.

Map to show the last position of the Verity ( Marine Traffic)

[24 October 2023 09:42 · Lydia Patrick]

Welcome to our live blog

We will be live reporting the sinking of a British cargo ship off the coast of Germany after it collided with another shop.

So far, one person has been saved from the water and has received medical treatment whilst rescuers scramble to save other crew members.

Follow for live updates