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Chemical tanker arrives in Brest after collision off French coast

The damaged Uranus chemical tanker was towed to a French port on Saturday after a collision which forced the crew to abandon ship. A deepwater tug pulled the Maltese-flagged vessel to the port of Brest. It is thought that none of the vessel’s cargo, 6,000 tonnes of solvents, leaked into the sea.

Photo: Marine Nationale
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A security cordon and floating boom had been set up around the vessel. No signs of pollution had been detected.

Experts were determining how to put it back on an even keel before transferring the cargo. It has a 12-degree list of the port after the accident.

It collided with the Hanjin Richzad freighter early on Friday and the 13-member crew took to the life rafts shortly before dawn. They were then airlifted to safety shortly afterwards.

“We’re in more of a favourable situation than an unfavourable one,” Marc Gander, a maritime authority spokesperson, had told journalists in Brest.

The Uranus operated by V Ships was built in 2008 and is carrying “heavy pygas”, a type of gasoline in its compartmentalised hull.

The Hanjin Richzad continued its journey after an inspection and the vessel’s captain will be interviewed by French maritime police at a later date.

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