Tug Saves Product Tanker From Drifting Aground Off Brittany Coast Amidst Storm Durragh

French Emergency Responders rescued a product tanker from drifting aground off the Brittany coast on the night of Saturday.

In November, Tanker Larus encountered a technical issue while sailing off the Oissant Island. It rerouted to the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, waiting for a tug which would tow the tanker to a yard in Estonia to undergo maintenance and repairs.

However, Storm Durragh’s approach delayed the arrival of the tug and the tanker remained at the mercy of the waves amidst heavy weather.

Around 1600 hours on Sunday, as the weather deteriorated, the tanker crew reached out to the French rescue coordination centre at Corsen. They said that the tanker’s anchor was dragging and it was gradually drifting towards the coast.

A rescue tug Abeille Bourbon was sent by the French Navy’s Atlantic Maritime Prefecture which also called another tug for assistance since it was at Port of St. Malo, much closer to the scene. However, the tug turned back due to rough weather.

At 2345 hours, Abeille Bourbon reached the scene however it was unable to tow the tanker after which the maritime prefecture dispatched its response team on a helicopter which lowered them onto the tanker’s deck and by 0430 on Sunday morning, they established a tow.

The tug began towing the tanker into a port at Brest and all 13 crew members of the tankers remained onboard while a helicopter was kept on standby in case evacuation or assistance would be needed during the tow. The tanker is safely anchored in Brest’s harbour.

References: Safety4sea

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