MSC containership sinking in English Channel
The crew of a 4,427-TEU containership operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co. this morning abandoned the vessel after it started taking on water in Gale Force 9 weather conditions in the English Channel.
The 26-strong crew of the U.K.-flagged 'MSC Napoli' made a distress call at 10:30 a.m. local time to the Falmouth Coastguard, before taking to the ship's lifeboat.
The vessel is located 40 miles off Lizard Point in Cornwall, within the French search and rescue region, and the rescue is being coordinated by the French Coastguard with assistance from the Falmouth Coastguard. Both have scrambled helicopters and tugs to the scene.
The 62,277-deadweight-ton ship, built in 1992, is owned by Zodiac Maritime and is being operated by MSC on a service linking North Europe to South Africa via the Canary Islands. The ship is understood to have been en route to Sines in Portugal from Le Havre in France.
