On Sunday morning, the Coast Guard reported a potentially dangerous emergency in the Gulf of Finland due to a fire in the cargo ship’s engine room. The Coast Guard received a report of the fire from the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship MSC Shannon shortly after two o’clock.
The cargo ship was in international waters, but in the Finnish maritime rescue area, about 11 nautical miles south of Jussarö, which belongs to the municipality of Raseborg. According to the ship’s report, the crew had been brought under fire control and no outside assistance was needed.
The 240-meter container ship MSC Shannon is en route from Russia to France. The 30-year-old ship will carry 24 crew members and cargo containers weighing a total of 1,283 tons. The contents of the tanks contain flammable liquids, oxidizing, corrosive and toxic substances.
According to the Helsinki Maritime Rescue Center, the cargo was not in danger.
Starke Winde
After sunrise around 8 a.m., the surveillance aircraft inspected the area and found no signs of oil or other leaks into the sea.
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard said it was prepared for a possible disaster in preparation for the robbery of two naval rescue helicopters and the maritime accident prevention teams of the Helsinki and Southwest Finland Rescue Services, as well as three patrol vessels.
A rescue helicopter made a reconnaissance flight to the area and then landed in Hanko to await standby. Two patrol ships, Turva and Uisko, headed for the vessel and prepared for a possible emergency tow.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute issued a wind warning on Sunday to most sea areas, including the Gulf of Finland, and wind speeds from north to northeast can be as high as 18 meters per second.
Quelle: Die nordische Seite
