Tragedy in North Sea as cargo ship bound for Immingham capsizes following collision

Verity - the Dutch-built ship was carrying a cargo of steel

A SEARCH-and-rescue is underway following a collision between two cargo vessels - one of them en route to Immingham - in the North Sea.

One crew member of Verity has lost his life, two have been rescued and four are others are missing.

The 22-year-old Dutch-built and British-registered Verity, which was carrying steel, has now capsized, and the four missing men are thought to be in the water.

Sailing at a speed of 7.4 knots, the ship, which is 299ft long and 46ft wide,  had been due to arrive at Immingham at noon tomorrow (Wednesday).

Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies is co-ordinating the search which involves German navy helicopters and a police boat.

Also assisting is a P&O Cruises ship, Iona, which has delayed its its passage from Southampton to Amsterdam.

In a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said all efforts was being made to trace and rescue the missing men.

The conditions are hazardous, with 30mph winds, rain and 10ft waves. 

The other ship involved in the collision was the larger Bahamas-registed vessel, Polesie, which was on its way  from Hamburg to La Coruña in Spain.

It remains afloat with its crew of 22 all thought to be uninjured.

It is not clear yet why  the two ships collided  yesterday at 3am GMT  off the island of Heligoland.

The nationalities of the Verity crew members are not known but the vessel is owned by 29-year-old Isle of Wight-based company Faversham Ships Ltd whose fleet also includes Beaumont, Neptune, Shetland Trader, Trinity, Ventura, Victress and Vitality.