8 Sailors Missing After 2 Ships Collide West of Gibraltar
A tanker collided with another cargo ship in the Atlantic Ocean west of Gibraltar on Wednesday. Eight sailors were missing, shipping officials said.
Nineteen crew members from the 78,443-ton tanker New World, registered in Hong Kong, took to lifeboats and were rescued by a passing ship, said Cmdr. Carlos Brites Nunes, spokesman for the Portuguese military command coordinating rescue efforts.
At least two crew members stayed on board the New World.
The other ship was identified as the Ya Mawlaya, owned by a British company and registered in Cyprus. There appeared to be no immediate danger of either ship sinking.
The British coast guard said the Ya Mawlaya’s 33 crew members were safe on board one of its ships.
Because radio contact was difficult, Nunes said it was not clear whether the eight missing crewmen had abandoned ship or were stranded in another part of the tanker and out of contact with the ship’s bridge.
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