Spanish Coast Guard assets rescued the 22-member crew of the listing ro/ro Modern Express on Tuesday evening and brought them safely ashore.
The Express issued a distress signal when she was 130 nm off Cape Ortegal, Galicia, in the British zone of SAR responsibility for the Bay of Biscay. MRCC Falmouth received the signal and coordinated the response through other agencies. “At no point did we talk to the crew directly during the operation,” a spokesman said, although some communication was made through relay vessels nearby.
The evacuation was carried out by Spanish authorities, who provided three helicopters and one patrol aircraft. The first helicopter to arrive rescued 16 crewmembers and the second retrieved the remaining six.
French agencies and local government in Galicia provided additional assistance, and six merchant ships were diverted to the Express’ vicinity in the event that surface vessel support might be needed.
The Spanish Coast Guard reported that the vessel had a list of as much as 40 degrees and that prevailing conditions were winds at force 8 and heavy seas.
The Panama-flagged, 10,000 dwt Modern Express was under way from Gabon to Le Havre with cargo of “3,600 tons of wood in bundles and a dozen pieces of heavy machinery” at the time that she began to list, French authorities said. As of Wednedsay morning, she was adrift in the Bay of Biscay in the area of French responsibility. The French Navy dispatched the salvage tug Abeille Bourbon to her aid and a maritime patrol aircraft to monitor her location and disposition; the Bourbon is due on station towards noon GMT on Wednesday.
French authorities have given the Express’ owner until 9 AM GMT on Thursday to decide how to salvage the vessel. If no decision is made, the French Navy will assume control of the situation.
The Express is owned by Cido Shipping and operated by European Roro Lines, a specialist in ro/ro cargo to West Africa from Northern Europe.