GERMAN rescue teams today called off a search for four missing sailors after a cargo ship sank following a collision between two vessels in the North Sea.

One person has already been declared dead and two people were rescued after the accident, which happened early yesterday about 22km southwest of the island of Helgoland.

The search for survivors was called off overnight and would not resume today, said the German Sea Rescue Society.

Although ships and helicopters had scoured the zone during the night despite difficult weather conditions, they did not find anything, said the group.

The British-registered “Verity”, which sank, was carrying a cargo of steel to the English town of Immingham from Bremen, Germany. It also had 1,300 cubic metres of fuel on board.

Two of seven crew members were rescued, one was found dead and the other four are missing. The cause of the accident is not known.

The “Verity”, owned by the British company Faversham, had collided with the the 190m “Polesie” owned by the Polish company Polsteam, sailing under a Bahamas flag.

The “Polesie” was travelling from Hamburg to La Coruna in Spain when the accident happened. Its 22 crew members were unharmed.

It docked at Cuxhaven, northwest Germany early this morning, after having taken part in the search for survivors. – AFP, October 25, 2023.