A Turkish ship carrying 70,000 tons of highly flammable gas oil on Wednesday night hit a sunken Norwegian vessel in the middle of the English Channel after failing to heed French naval warnings.
The Turkish tanker is the second ship to strike the Tricolor since it sank in a collision in the Channel with its cargo of 2,862 BMWs Volvos and Saabs on December 14, The Guardian reported Thursday.
French maritime authorities Wednesday night said that the duty officer of the ship, the Vicky, had failed to heed warnings and had let the ship run on to the wreck of the Tricolor.
The accident took place despite the Tricolor being marked by buoys and in spite of the presence of a French naval vessel close to the area.
It appears that an environmental disaster was averted Wednesday night at high water just after 10 pm when the Vicky was able to sail under its own steam off the Tricolor, two and a half hours after it had run into the wreck.
The Vicky, with 24 crewmembers on board, was en route to New York from Antwerp when it hit the Tricolor. (Albawaba.com)
