LONDON – All 20 crew members have been rescued from a Greek-registered cargo ship that was listing badly in heavy seas in the English Channel on Monday.
Britain's Coastguard said the vessel Ice Prince was carrying more than 5,700 tons of timber to Alexandria, Egypt when its cargo shifted in a storm on Sunday and the ship began tilting toward the water between Normandy, France and the coast of England.
Lifeboats and a rescue helicopter were mobilized on Sunday to rescue the crew, one of whom, a 41-year-old Greek, broke his leg in the storm, the coast guard said. Other crew members reported minor injuries.
Weather in the area remained bad and the ship rolled in 16-foot swells and gusting winds, the coast guard said.
"The vessel is moving around," said Rosie Tapping, a press officer with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. "It's currently listing about 40 degrees to port; that's quite a strong list."
The agency said it was monitoring the situation, and that the Ice Prince was carrying 345 tons of intermediate fuel oil.
A French coast guard tug, the Abeille Liberte, was on the scene as authorities considered what to do with the stricken ship.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox