Maltese cargo ship stranded on Brittany beach to be scrapped where it lies

The Maltese-registered cargo ship TK Bremen, which ran aground off the coast of Brittany late last week in high winds and torrential rain, is set to be scrapped where it lies because it is too badly damaged to be towed back to the sea.

The vessel was built in 1982.

According to AFP the maritime prefecture said towing the vessel to see was too risky since it would break up. "Strictly-speaking, the shipowner has the right to repair the vessel where it lies... but it appears it struck several rocks and its hull has been perforated in several places."

The 19 crew members on board the TK Bremen were airlifted to safety by helicopter and booms deployed to contain an oil spill threatening a nearby beach.
The ship still contains 220 tonnes of fuel.

The maritime prefecture spokesman said dismantling the TK Bremen would be a complex operation in what is an environmentally-protected zone. The ship would be cut up and the pieces loaded onto trucks.

The TK Bremen left the Brittany port of Lorient en route to the UK as the storm was gaining strength, and dropped anchor off the nearby Isle de Groix to wait for an improvement in the weather. However, the ship was unable to maintain its mooring in the storm and began drifting towards the coast.

Transport Malta is investigating the grounding of the cargo ship, with the authority in direct contact with the managers of the vessel in order to closely monitor the situation. The Marine Safety Investigation Unit within Transport Malta is coordinating its safety investigation directly with the French authorities. A safety investigator has been also deployed to the area in order to work in close liaison with the French safety investigator and gather all the available information.