Video: Crew Airlifted from Burning Cargo Ship Drifting in the Baltic
Danish and Swedish authorities coordinated to rescue the crew of a feeder cargo ship burning off the coast of Sweden late on Thursday night, November 28. The Swedish Maritime Administration is reporting that all the crew were hoisted without injury and taken to Kristianstad by one of its helicopters.
The Danish JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Center) detected the problem aboard the cargo ship Sofia (1,827 dwt) at 2120 local time and alerted the Swedish Armed Forces as the vessel was in the Swedish zone. It was approximately 30 nautical miles east of Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic. It was determined to be traveling empty from Poland where it had departed on November 27 and was due to arrive in Ellenholm, Sweden to load cargo on November 29.
The crew issued a mayday reporting that there was a fire aboard and seeking assistance. The Swedish Armed Forces coordinated with the Swedish Maritime Administration which dispatched a helicopter. The Swedish Coast Guard assisted in providing information on the number of people aboard the vessel.
The Swedish helicopter was the first to arrive and reported a fire at the bow of the vessel. Media reports are saying there had also been an explosion aboard, but the Swedish Maritime Authority is reporting the cause of the fire as undetermined.
The Danes also dispatched a helicopter to standby. The Danish frigate Absalon was returning to base after an exercise reports Danish TV2 and also diverted to the scene.
The Swedish helicopter hoisted the five crewmembers from the cargo ship and transported them to shore. The Swedish Maritime Authority highlights a swift rescue with the crew safely aboard its helicopter by 2300, one hour 40 minutes after the first alert. At the time of the rescue, the winds were blowing at up to 33 knots and the video shows the vessel rolling heavily in the Baltic.
The Sofia is one of two cargo ships operated by the Swedish company Fiducia Shipping. The company reports it acquired the vessel, which was built in Germany in 1986, in 2019. It is registered in Sweden and is used to transport loads of barley, wheat, oat, rapeseed and rapeseed flour, and fuel pellets. The ship is 236 feet (72 meters) in length. The shipowner is reported to have hired tugs which are on the way to salvage the drifting ship. The Polish maritime agency reports the ship is in no immediate danger drifting at about 1.2 knots.
The Swedish Maritime Authority is highlighting the close cooperation between the different organizations to conduct the safe rescue of the crew.
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