Channel danger as hundreds of tonnes of timber washed overboard

Around 8.15 this morning Dover Coastguard were alerted to the loss of 1,500 metric tonnes of sawn timber from the deck of the 1991-built, 137-metre Russian vessel Sinegorsk, 14 nautical miles south of Newhaven.

The vessel was heading to Alexandria in Egypt from Oskarshamn in Russia.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "The vessel with 25 people on board initially developed a 15 degree list and is now heading for shelter towards the Isle of Wight.

"The crew on board also began to take ballast water into the vessels starboard side to help even the list, which has reduced her list to 10 degrees. The vessel was within the traffic separation scheme at the time of the incident."

The MCA's Counter Pollution Team have been advised, and a aerial surveillance aircraft is already in the air and has been tasked to survey and identify the location of the debris and to see whether the wood is remaining in secure bundles, or have yet broken apart.

"Using modelling predictions, it is currently estimated that the wood may come ashore sometime later today between Brighton and Newhaven dependent on the prevailing weather patterns.

"Dover Coastguard is now broadcasting into the sea area alerting other vessels to the sea borne debris.

"The Coastguard Tug, the Anglian Earl which was in Boulogne has now also been sent to the scene in order to provide a presence at the site of the loss to warn other approaching ships and to monitor the rate of drift.

"The Newhaven RNLI lifeboat has also been sent to the area.

"The weather in the area is poor at present, with southerly winds veering southwest force 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally Storm 10 with moderate to rough seas and squally rain.

"As the vessel and any debris head west then Solent Coastguard will take over co-ordination of the incident from Dover. The Receiver of Wreck has also been kept informed of the sawn timber, and its likely impact on the shoreline."

From Brussels, Sussex Euro MP James Ashworth said: "Firstly I would like congratulate the swift response of the Dover coastguard and Newhaven RNLI to this ongoing situation.

"I am told aerial assistance aircraft are in the air to discover the debris' location and to hopefully identify that the timber is still contained in bundles and have not yet broken apart.

"We all remember the problems caused by the 2,000 tonnes of timber that washed up across the coast of Sussex last January and hope that a similar situation can be averted this time".