News

A potentially serious collision was avoided after a coastguard tug towed a broken down chemical tanker to safety from the Dover Straits after it posed a hazard to other shipping.

The captain of the tanker Ruth Theresa alerted Dover coastguards on Friday that the ship had a mechanical fault and was drifting.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said there was a risk of collision and the vessel was towed out of the shipping lane to anchor off Margate at about 9.00am the following morning.

Hugh Shaw, of the Maritime Salvage Agency, said: "Broken down ships in a busy shipping lane there do pose a risk of collision which could result in significant pollution and disruption.

"It was therefore decided to remove the threat by towing the vessel to a place of safety outside the main shipping lanes."