A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Thursday two of its offshore oil industry supply vessels sank off the coast of France earlier in the day as they were being towed for scrapping in Turkey.
It said the two vessels, Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper, were unmanned at the time of the incident and no one was hurt.
Both vessels, with deadweight of around 3500 tonnes and 82 metres long, had been emptied of fuel and lubricants, Claus Bachmann, chief operating officer of Maersk Supply Service, said in an email.
“We can confirm that the Maersk Supply Service vessel, Maersk Battler, lost two towed supply vessels on December 22. The Maersk Supply vessels Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper sunk 60 mi off the coast of France,” Maersk Supply Service COO Claus Bachmann told OE in a statement.
“The two towed vessels were unmanned,” Bachmann confirmed. “There are 10 people on board the towing vessel Maersk Battler. All are well and accounted for.”
The Coast guard of France has been informed of the incident.
Bachmann said that the Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper were on route to a Turkish shipyard for recycling.
The Maersk Battler was assigned as the towing vessel for the two vessels and the convoy left Fredericia, Denmark on 12 December. Prior to departure both towed vessels had been emptied of lubricant oil and diesel oil.
“We are currently investigating the cause of the incident. No further information is available at this point in time,” Bachmann said.
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Reference: Reuters, OE Digital
