Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2002 01:55:19 -0000 From: "Colin SQUIRES" <colin_squiresnopsam4.freeserve.co.uk> Subject: Sunken Saabs
BBC story of the sunken SAABs, BMW's, Volvo's, etc.(There's still hope the SAAB's might be okay!!) ______________________________________________________________________ An inquiry has been launched into the sinking Thick fog is hampering efforts to salvage a Norwegian carrier ship, which sank in the English Channel together with its multi-million pound cargo of new cars. Nearly 3,000 luxury cars - including BMWs, Volvos and Saabs - were being carried on board the Tricolor when it collided with a container vessel in the early hours of Saturday. All 24 crew members survived the incident, which happened in the English Channel, about 30 miles (48km) east of Ramsgate, Kent. The crew members were taken to hospital in France The Tricolor had been travelling from Zebrugge, Belgium, to Southampton with its cargo of 2,862 cars and 77 containers when it hit the container ship the Kariba. The car carrier also had about 2,000 tons of oil on board, according to Lloyd's Casualty Reporting Service. Belgian coastguards said there was a slight leakage, but the Belgian sea rescue service said it was not aware any oil had spilled. The 24 crew members from the Tricolor abandoned ship and took to lifeboats after the collision at 0130 GMT. The Kariba, registered in the Bahamas, was severely damaged but was able to make its own way to the Belgian port of Antwerp. There were no reported casualties. The Tricolor's captain and two officers were rescued by the Kariba while the rest of the mostly Filipino crew were picked up by a tug boat and have been taken to hospital in the French port Dunkirk. A UK coastguard spokesman said: "The car carrier quickly developed a 15 degree list and its crew abandoned the vessel." Warship at scene Lloyd's Casualty Reporting Service confirmed the 49,792-ton Tricolor had sunk and the 20,829-ton Kariba had been seriously damaged. The estimated value of the ship itself is £25.1m and the cargo between £25m and £31m. Per Ronnevigsaid, spokesman for the Tricolor's owners Wilhelmsen Lines said the ship and cargo owners would work with the insurers. But he said it was likely the cars would probably have to be written off. "She (the Tricolor) probably capsized when she went down. It means that all the cars are probably lying in pieces down there." The Tricolor collided with the container ship Kariba Dover Coastguard said a Belgian warship, the Wandelaar, was in the area helping French coastguards to deal with the incident. A UK coastguard emergency towing vessel was sent to the scene along with other tugs. The Tricolor was initially only partly submerged because of a low tide. But it later disappeared from view. Mark Clark from Dover coastguard said: "The vessel is now down below the surface, it has obviously settled." UK coastguards said it was now up to the ship's owners as to what would happen to the vessel's cargo. The incident is being managed by the French authorities. A barrier is being put up around the wreck to contain any pollution. An inquiry will be launched by the French authorities into the cause of the accident.
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