Cargo ship beached after collision in Bay of Gibraltar
Gibraltar authorities say they have beached a cargo ship to prevent it from sinking after it collided with a liquefied natural gas carrier in the Bay of Gibraltar
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Gibraltar authorities said Tuesday that a cargo ship has been beached to prevent it from sinking after it collided with a liquefied natural gas carrier in the Bay of Gibraltar.
A government spokesman said that the situation was under control and the ship was not in danger. He said there had been no environmental impact so far. The government said booms had been placed in the area to contain any possible fuel seepage.
No one was injured in the collision. The crew of the cargo ship — the 178-meter (584-foot), Tuvalu-registered OS 35 — remains on board.
A Gibraltar government statement said the cargo ship sustained “significant damage to the vessel’s starboard side," including a gash below the waterline measuring approximately 10 meters (32 feet) by 4 meters (13 feet).
The statement said the Adam LNG carrier appeared to have suffered no significant damage, except for a superficial dent.
It said a specialist marine salvage team from the Netherlands was due to arrive in Gibraltar later in the day to conduct a full on-site assessment.
The spokesman, who was not authorized to be named, said the cargo vessel was resting on the seabed in 17 meters (56 feet) of water close to the coast. The ship was carrying steel bars.
The Gibraltar government said it had set up a 200-meter exclusion zone around the stricken ship but that the Gibraltar port had reopened and was functioning as normal.
Gibraltar, a British territory located on southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, is a busy shipping port.