Stranded cargo ship freed from German sandbank after 3 days
A 225-meter (738-foot) cargo ship was towed off a sandbank in the North Sea on Thursday more than three days after it got stranded during a storm, Germany's maritime rescue center said.
The stranding of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Glory Amsterdam off the island of Langeoog had caused concern because the ship was carrying 1,800 tons of fuel oil and 140 tons of diesel, but authorities said it appeared that no hazardous substances had leaked.
The ship drifted onto the sandbank off the island in high winds on Sunday, with 22 crew members on board. Rescuers pumped 16,000 tons of ballast water out of the vessel and then used two tugboats with 1,500-meter (4,920-foot) tow lines to pull it free early Thursday.
Rescue experts who went aboard found no damage to the ship. The Glory Amsterdam was being towed to the port of Wilhelmshaven.
- Star
