Damaged chemical container ship held off Cornish coast is safe to be towed to Germany

A damaged chemical container ship held 30 miles off the Cornish coast is safe to be towed to Germany, officials have said.

The fire-ravaged MSC Flaminia was inspected by a team of six salvage specialists and towing is expected to start on Sunday, coastguards confirmed.

The ship, owned by Reederei NSB, caught fire in the mid-Atlantic on July 14.

One crew member died and another is "missing presumed dead".

The stricken 85,823-tonne vessel was laden with a cargo of 2,876 containers, 149 being classed as dangerous goods, said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

A spokeswoman said: "While the MSC Flaminia suffered considerable damage environmental assessments have shown no pollution.

"An international independent inspection team, with representatives from the UK, France and Germany, went on board the vessel last Tuesday."

She added inspectors were "completely satisfied" the vessel is in a "safe and stable condition" to make the journey to Germany, which is expected to take five days.