- The retrieved remains of the submerged freighter, Verity, were identified.
Almost a year after the clash of two freighters in the German Bight, yet another body was discovered. The General Directorate of Water and Shipping (GDWS) based in Bonn confirmed this. The sailor was uncovered in the rear section of the submerged freighter "Verity", which was salvaged on a Friday.
The merchant vessel "Verity" collided with the freighter "Polesie" on October 24, 2023, roughly 22 kilometers southwest of Helgoland's high-sea island and 31 kilometers northeast of Langeoog, an East Frisian island. The "Verity", sailing under the Isle of Man's flag and measuring 91 meters in length, sank. Its voyage was from Bremen to Immingham in the UK.
Three crew members remain unaccounted for
There were seven crew members aboard. Three of them are still unaccounted for. The captain had already been retrieved, deceased. Two crew members were rescued from the water at the time. The current crew member found was spotted in a cabin, as per the GDWS. The federal police transported the corpse to Hamburg for further examination in the afternoon. "The legal representatives of the remaining families have been promptly informed about the discovery," announced a GDWS spokeswoman.
The "Polesie" had 22 crew members on board and remained seaworthy following the accident, as reported by the responsible salvage service in Cuxhaven at the time. The "Polesie" spanned 190 meters in length, considerably larger than the "Verity".
Rear section salvaged on Friday
On the given Friday, the 600-ton rear section, or stern, was extracted from approximately 40 meters of water depth using a floating crane. Subsequent to the extraction, a targeted search for the then-remaining four crew members was to be conducted. According to the GDWS, Europe's strongest floating crane, the Hebo Lift 10, was utilized for the extraction. It's claimed to have a lifting capacity of up to 2,200 tons.
The intricate and comprehensive recovery of the ship was preceded by months of preparation, as reported by the authority. Initially, hazardous substances were drained from the ship's tanks, then the cargo of the cargo ship - 187 steel coil rolls - could be salvaged. Furthermore, the entire wreck posed a hazard to shipping due to its location.
Bow to be salvaged on Monday
To lift the wreck from the water with the floating crane, it was divided underwater into two parts. The division took nine hours. Lifting chains were attached beneath wreck parts, and divers also installed pumps within the wreck to lessen the weight during lifting.
The 580-ton frontal part of the ship, the bow, is to be lifted on Monday. "The weather conditions are favorable, so the operation is progressing as planned," reported a spokeswoman for the GDWS. The search for the remaining crew members will then continue. A safety zone with a radius of one nautical mile around the accident site remains in effect until the end of the recovery. The two wreck parts are to be towed to the Netherlands and disposed of responsibly.
The "Verity" collided with another vessel near German waters, specifically southwest of Helgoland's high-sea island and northeast of Langeoog, both located in Germany. After the disaster, only four out of the seven crew members were accounted for, with three still missing.
