Rescuers tow capsized cargo ship before it hits French coast
Posted February 01, 2016 6:00 am
PARIS (AP) - Rescuers have begun towing a cargo ship that had been adrift for five days and was threatening to run aground in southwest France.
Broadcast images showed the dramatically listing, 164-meter (538-foot) Modern Express being towed by another ship via a cable on Monday afternoon. It was 45 kilometers (28 miles) off the French coast. The rescuers' first goal is to tow it farther offshore before eventually looking for a safe harbor.
High winds and six-meter (20-foot) waves made weekend rescue attempts impossible.
The crew on the Panama-registered vessel was evacuated after issuing a distress call last Tuesday. The ship is carrying 3,600 tons of wood and equipment.
In this photo taken on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 and provided by the Prefecture Maritime Atlantique, the cargo ship "Moderm Express" is pictured drifting off the coast of France. The cargo ship listing in the water is drifting empty off the coast of France, as maritime rescue workers wait for the seas to calm. The captain of the capsized Modern Express, sailing with a load of wood in the Bay of Biscay, 300 kilometers (180 miles) off the coast of France, sent out a distress call on Tuesday and its crew of 22 was evacuated by Spanish helicopters. (Loic Bernardin/ Prefecture Maritime Atlantique via AP) THIS IMAGE MAY ONLY BE USED FOR 10 DAYS FROM TIME TRANSMISSION - MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
In this photo taken on Monday, Feb.1, 2016 and provided by the Prefecture Maritime Atlantique, the tugboat Centaurus sails past the cargo ship "Moderm Express" , drifting off the coast of France. A team of experts are expected to make a final attempt on Monday to salvage a cargo ship that has been adrift off the coast of France for five days before it runs aground. (Loic Bernardin/ Prefecture Maritime Atlantique via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo taken on Monday, Feb.1, 2016 and provided by the Prefecture Maritime Atlantique, a man is lifted from the cargo ship "Moderm Express" , drifting off the coast of France. A team of experts are expected to make a final attempt on Monday to salvage a cargo ship that has been adrift off the coast of France for five days before it runs aground. (Loic Bernardin/ Prefecture Maritime Atlantique via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo taken on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 and provided by the Prefecture Maritime Atlantique, the cargo ship "Moderm Express" is pictured drifting off the coast of France. A team of experts are expected to make a final attempt on Monday to salvage a cargo ship that has been adrift off the coast of France for five days before it runs aground. (Loic Bernardin/ Prefecture Maritime Atlantique via AP)
The Associated Press
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