Panamanian-flagged car carrier ‘Modern Express’ has been evacuated after a ”loss of stability incident” in the Bay of Biscay. Spain’s search and rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo rescued the 22-member crew of the listing cargo ship on Tuesday evening and brought them safely ashore.
Modern Express,10,454 dwt , was travelling from Gabon in West Africa to Le Havre, France. It weighs 34,000 tonnes and is 164 metres long.
While the vessel was en route from Owendo in Gabon to Le Havre in France, carrying cargo of “3,600 tons of wood in bundles and a dozen pieces of heavy machinery”, got blackout and lost propulsion power in Bay of Biscay on 200 nautical miles off south-south-west of Brest, France.
The vessel sent a distress signal at 130 nm off Cape Ortegal, Galicia, in the British zone of SAR responsibility for the Bay of Biscay.
The rescue operation, coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC), in Falmouth, UK, with assistance from the National Coordination Centre in Madrid received the signal and rescued the crew with the help of two Spanish helicopters which arrived to airlift the 22 crew members on board to safety.
Spanish Coast Guard reported that the ship was listing by about 40 degrees with heavy seas and weather with force of 8 south-westerly winds.
All crew is reported to be in good condition without injuries.
