Dramatic Images as Ro-Ro Grounds at UK Lighthouse
A rescue operation was successful in taking control of a drifting Ro-Ro cargo vessel after the ship blacked out and ran aground nearly hitting a lighthouse off the coast of England. The incident made for some dramatic scenes witnessed by passengers, including a group of school children, on a ferry that was sent to stand by in case of an emergency.
The Mazarine, a Ro-Ro registered in Malta was traveling from Ringaskiddy, Ireland, where it had departed yesterday, bound for Zeebrugge, Belgium when the vessel reported losing power and drifting near the entrance to the English Channel this morning, July 10. HM Coastguard and the local RNLI lifeboats were responding to the scene. In addition, the Scillonian III, a ferry operating to Penzance was diverted to potentially assist in an evacuation.
The 605-foot Ro-Ro, which was built in 2009 and is 14,552 dwt, was drifting toward the Wolf Rock lighthouse, which is about eight to nine miles off Land’s End, England. The coastguard sent a helicopter and the initial assessment was that the 22 crewmembers and three passengers should remain aboard the vessel.
Frustratingly I can’t get the photos off my SLR as I don’t have a card reader with me… so screen shots from up closer. pic.twitter.com/fbMNNx9WDq
— FairoaksGyro (@fairoaks_gyro) July 10, 2023
With the winds blowing at Force 6, the ship continued to drift grounding on the rocks around the 135-foot tall lighthouse. It is unclear if it made contact with the lighthouse, which was unoccupied at the time.
The vessel, which is operated by CLdN, reportedly breached two ballast tanks and was taking on water after grounding. The operator said that the crew had been able to contain the water ingress.
Some more great pictures coming through from out team on the Scillonian RNLI #WolfRock #AdventureLearningWeek #MountsBayAcademy #WeAreMBA pic.twitter.com/Dt7I4Ps3Ud
— Mounts Bay (@MountsBaySchool) July 10, 2023
The Marcia, a powerful tug operated by Svitzer and based in Falmouth, was sent to assist. As of late today, the tug was reported to have secured a line to the cargo ship and begun to reposition the vessel. A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency told the BBC that the vessel would be moved to a more secure area to undergo a further damage assessment. They said they expected the rescue operation to continue through the night and into tomorrow.
The escorts from the school group aboard the ferry Tweeted videos of the rescue operation. The ferry was reportedly released by the Coastguard later in the day proceeding to its destination. The helicopter was also withdrawn but at least one of the Lifeboats continues to stand by as the tow is underway.