Britain warned to expect more severe storms
Pastor Dale Morgan
Britain warned to expect more severe storms*
By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 3:09pm GMT 12/01/2007
More storms are due to hit Britain today with winds predicted to reach
70mph in parts of Scotland and north England.
The predictions came as it emerged a 4,500-tonne cargo ship adrift in
the North Sea last night narrowly avoided smashing into two gas platforms.
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The Vindo, which is laden with fertiliser, lost power in stormy weather
and began drifting towards the Murdoch gas platform, 75 miles off the
Lincolnshire coast.
But the crew managed to start the ship's engines just a mile away from
the platform and avert a collision.
The vessel floated past the first platform at 10pm only to lose power
again and begin heading towards a second, the unmanned Caister, which it
bypassed by just 700 yards.
The Vindo is now drifting in open sea and is being rescued by a tug boat
and towed to a British port.
After the Vindo's engine failed yesterday in a force 10 gale, the 30-man
crew of the Murdoch gas platform was evacuated by RAF helicopter as a
precaution.
The crew of nine dropped the vessel's anchor in an attempt to slow the
drift of the boat and as it approached the platform, the anchor was
raised to avoid hitting gas pipelines.
A coastguard spokesman said: "It cleared the second platform by 700
yards so we have been very lucky that is has missed two platforms."
Last year the Vindo, a general cargo vessel, was involved in a
collision. In September, the 90m-long ship crashed into another large
cargo vessel, Dealer, after failing to respond to radio messages.
Nobody was injured in the incident, which took place 17 miles off the
coast of North Foreland, Kent.
Vindo, which was heading for Seville, Spain, was allowed to continue on
its way after the incident. Stormy weather also caused a second vessel
to lose power, off the coast of Aberdeen.
The coastguard said a rescue boat was on its way to tow the ship, called
the Orelia, to safety.