Chemical Tanker Adrift Off Ireland

300+ gCaptain ⚓ Maritime & Offshore News by Mike Schuler  /  15h  //  keep unread  //  hide  //  preview

The Irish Coast Guard is responding today to a chemical tanker adrift since Sunday off the west coast of Ireland.

The Irish Coast Guard says it received a call from the MT Hellespont Charger Sunday reporting that ship had suffered main engine failure approximately 120 miles west of Loop Head, Ireland while underway from Corpus Christi, Texas to Aughinish with 15,000 tons of caustic soda.

The Coast Guard reports that a tug has been arranged to rendezvous with the vessel and the Irish Naval Vessel LE Aisling is also enroute to monitor the towing operation which is expected to commence late Monday.

Weather conditions are reported to be Force 7 winds and waves of 5 to 6 meters.

Unconfirmed reports say that a tug is on-scene currently but is having trouble connecting to the vessel.

Spare parts are being transported to Shannon where they are expected to be transferred to the vessel. The spare parts however, are not expected to arrive until Tuesday.

The 16,802 dwt MT Hellespont Charger is managed by Hellespont Ship Management in Germany and has a crew of 22 Filipinos.

The Coast Guard reports that there is no immediate danger to the vessel or crew at this time.