Stricken British cargo ship on fire south of Gran Canaria

[Michael]

I'm surprised they don't just tow it out to sea and sink it.

[Janet]

they don't want that nitrate in the waters near here for love nor money!

[poker]

they don't want that nitrate in the waters near here for love nor money!

Already nitrate enough in all the shit dumped in the sea and letting the algae grow like wild on the coasts .
 
Hope they can get it to the harbor and cool it down now without further explosions . 

[Janet]

There is now the barest wisp of smoke coming from bay one of the Cheshire's hold, and Bibby Line says that the temperature has dropped considerably and therefore people should be able to get on board later today to check the situation inside. The ship's current position is some 60km south of Fuerteventura, where it is being towed by the tug Red Sea Fox supported by the VB Hispania and the Miguel de Cervantes. There are negotiations currently taking place to enable the vessel to be brought into a harbour for cooling work to continue.

[Janet]

Resolve Marine technicians tried several times yesterday to board the Cheshire but were unable to do so due to worsening sea conditions: they will be making another attempt today. The photo below shows the present state of the vessel which is currently some 50 miles south east of Gran Canaria; no smoke is visible any more and temperatures in the hold have fallen further from yesterday. Capitanía Marítima (maritime body within the Department of Public Works & Transport) has meanwhile given permission for the Cheshire to be towed to within 20 miles of Gran Canaria. Once the vessel can be boarded, Merchant Navy technicians will evaluate its integrity and determine if it can be allowed to be brought to port.

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[Janet]

Technicians have still not been able to board the Cheshire, and so it remains in "international waters" 25 miles south east of Gran Canaria. When Capitanía Marítima confirms that there's no longer a danger it is intended to bring it into Puerto de La Luz (Las Palmas) even though that is said to be at bursting point presently. Meanwhile, the Gran Canaria Cabildo is seeking urgent meetings with the President of the Canaries to determine safety issues and responsibilities, but the island authorities are meeting a brick wall, with President Clavijo saying that the matter is effectively nothing to do with the Canarian Government, and that they have no authority in the issue. The Government's Dirección General de Seguridad y Emergencias has all the same activated its Marine Contamination Protocol as a preventative measure for when the craft comes within the 12 mile limit of Canarian waters.   

[Janet]

In the end, the Cheshire will not come into a Canarian port at all. It is being towed to the mainland where it will go into a harbour either in Spain or Portugal for extraction of whatever fertilizer remains in the hold, and repairs of the vessel itself. Owner Bibby Line Ltd says that the decision was taken because there is not a residue treatment plant suitable for the specific task in Canarian ports.

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Good.  We have enough pollution already.