Strange sinking
Mystery surrounds the sinking of a containership off the coast of St Lucia, as a US salvor examines whether the ship can be salvaged.
Owned by Germany's Brise Bereederungs, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged 657-teu Angeln (built 2004) was en route to Guyana when the incident occurred. The accident happened late Sunday night after the ship departed the port of Vieux-Fort.
The cause of the sinking is unknown. According to a statement released by Brise, the weather conditions at the time of the accident were fair, the ship did not touch ground and a collision did not take place.
Brise says the 15-man crew was able to escape without injuries.
No pollution has been reported.
Titan Salvage has been hired to secure the site and assess the possibility of salvaging the vessel and the cargo. It is unknown whether the ship will have an impact on trade routes in the area. A spokesperson at Titan refused to comment on the current operation.
Brise says the vessel's hull underwriters and P&I club are involved in the ongoing investigation.
The ship was chartered to Miami-based Bernuth Agencies for a Caribbean liner service. Local media reports the containership's cargo included more than $40,000 worth of printer ink.
The containership has P&I cover from Skuld and is classed by Germanischer Lloyd.
source TRADEWINDS
Topic: 657 teu vsl ANGELN sunk off St.Lucia (Read 2707 times)