"After the collision between two cargo ships off Heligoland, there is no longer any hope for the missing sailors. The public prosecutor's office has started an investigation on suspicion of a criminal offense.
After two freighters collided off Heligoland, the missing sailors are believed to have died. Of the seven crew, five could not have been rescued, and there is no hope for the four missing people, said the head of the accident command, Robby Renner, on Wednesday in Cuxhaven. The search for the missing people from the sunken freighter was stopped on Wednesday night, said Michael Ippich, managing director of the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People. The entire sea area was “combed” with the help of six helicopters, 25 ships and two aircraft. This happened again on Wednesday night after a recalculation of the area, said Ippich.
The water is only twelve degrees. Even under “optimal conditions,” experience has shown that the time window in which it is possible to find survivors is “a maximum of 20 hours.”
Early on Tuesday morning, twelve nautical miles southwest of the North Sea island of Helgoland, the British-flagged cargo ship Verity collided with the much larger freighter Polesie, which sails under the Bahamas flag. The reason is unclear. The Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) in Hamburg is conducting investigations.
According to the news portal "t-online", the Hamburg public prosecutor's office is said to have started investigations on suspicion of a crime. It's about negligent homicide and endangering shipping traffic.
On the morning of the accident, visibility was very poor, there was strong wind and there were waves of up to three meters. The accident site is one of the busiest sea areas in the world. The Verity apparently sank immediately. The Polesie remained seaworthy with a crew of 22 and was brought to Cuxhaven on Wednesday morning. Two sailors were rescued and one sailor was found dead.
According to Renner from the accident command, divers were also deployed on Tuesday to rescue people who might be trapped in the wreck. They didn't want to let this "vague opportunity" go to waste. However, the divers did not reach the ship on the second attempt due to the adverse conditions. No further dives were possible. There is no longer any hope for people who may be trapped. "Anyone who is trapped in the wreck over time and at these temperatures has, objectively speaking, no chance of survival."
To assess the damage, an unmanned underwater vehicle was lowered to the wreck at a depth of around 30 meters on Wednesday morning. The ship was carrying steel. In addition, according to Renner, 127 cubic meters of marine diesel. Bubbles the size of table tennis balls are currently emerging from this and collecting on the surface of the water. According to a drift model from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, the diesel is not moving towards the coast or Helgoland. Salvage is now being sought in collaboration with the authorities responsible for the ship. It is still unclear when this can take place." [1]
At the scene of the accident, Landsbergis and Kasčiūnas emerged and urgently began looking for the Russians for propaganda purposes, to raise suspicions and muddy the waters. No Russians were found nearby, but a Chinese ship was spotted, so Šimonytė started an investigation.
1. "Objektiv keine Überlebenschance". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (online)Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH. Oct 25, 2023. Von Julian Staib
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą