Cargo Ship in Distress Off Newfoundland Coast

Container ship MSC Monterey issued a distress call yesterday while sailing off the coast of Newfoundland, about 60 kilometers south of Portugal Cove South saying that the crew had discovered a crack in the hull, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Halifax reported.

The ship deployed from Antwerp, Belgium and was headed to Newark, New Jersey.

Search and Rescue team from Canada has evacuated four non-essential personnel from the ship by helicopters. The other twenty crewmembers remain onboard the 902-foot, Liberian-flagged containership working to save the ship. Reportedly, no one was injured.

Today, Transport Canada has taken over the responsibility for the ship currently anchored south of Newfoundland, near Trepassey Harbour with a Canadian Coast Guard vessel standing by, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre reports.

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World Maritime News Staff, Decembar 30, 2013; Image: JRCC Halifax