News / France

Fuel-laden ghost ship on crash course to French coast

Monday, 01 February 2016 1:26 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 01 February 2016 3:20 AM ]

The Panamanian-registered cargo ship "Modern Express" drifting in the Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of France, January 29, 2016 (AFP)

A ghost ship carrying around 300 tons of fuel and some 3,600 tons of timber as well as excavation machines is headed for the French coast.

This handout picture taken on January 28, 2016 and obtained from the Marine Nationale (French Navy) on January 29, 2016 shows a worker on Panamanian-registered cargo ship "Modern Express" as it drifts in the Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of France.

Following a technical malfunction on Tuesday, the Panamanian-registered Modern Express started to lean over at 40 to 50 degrees, which led to a dramatic rescue operation to save her whole crew via helicopter.

Bad weather conditions have hampered efforts to successfully secure a tow line to the 164-meter-long vessel. A final effort will be made on Monday to prevent her from crashing into France's Atlantic coast sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning.