The Ocean Bank towing one of the containers into Castletownbere. Pic: Niall Duffy
A SALVAGE operation is underway to retrieve several of chemical containers, off of the West Cork coast.
The containers have come from the German chemical container ship MSC Flaminia that caught fire in the mid-Atlantic on July 14th.
Bringing the containers in to Castletownbere. Pic: Niall Duffy
One crewmember died, and another is missing since the fire caused an explosion on board and the crew were forced to abandon ship.
The 85,000 tonne vessel was then towed to a holding position off of Cornwall before being towed back to Germany when permission was granted by British, French, Belgian and Dutch authorities to bring the ship through their territorial waters.
The containers in Castletownbere. Pic: Niall Duffy
The Castletownbere-based tug Ocean Bank has been engaged to retrieve the containers which are floating into international shipping lanes about 80 miles west of the West Cork coast.
A container in castletownbere. Pic: Niall Duffy
