Crew Members Airlifted From Burning Cargo Ship Rolling Heavily in The Baltic Sea

Authorities in Denmark and Sweden rescued the crew members of a burning feeder cargo vessel off the Swedish coast on Thursday night.

The Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Center found the issue onboard the vessel Sofia at 2120 local time and reported it to the Swedish Armed Forces as the ship was in their zone, 30 hm east of Bornholm, a Danish Island in the Baltic Sea.

The ship was sailing empty from Poland and was on its way to Ellenholm in Sweden for loading cargo.

The crew informed that there was a fire on the ship and they needed assistance after which the Swedish authorities sent a helicopter while the Coast Guard remained in touch with the crew.

The Swedish Maritime Administration reported that all crew were safe and were taken to Kristianstad by helicopter, which was first to reach the scene and saw the fire at the ship’s bow.

Though media reports also said there was an explosion, till now the cause of the fire is not determined.

The Danish frigate Absalon, on its way back from a naval exercise, was also deployed to the scene of the accident.

The Swedish Maritime Authority mentioned that the rescue was swift and all crew were safely taken to the shore by its helicopter, just an hour and a few minutes after the alert. During the rescue, winds blew at a speed of around 33 knots and the ship rolled heavily in the Baltic waters, per videos circulating on the internet.

The Sofia is operated by Fiducia Shipping, a Swedish company that acquired the vessel in 2019. The 72 m long vessel is registered in Sweden, was constructed in Germany in 1986, and transports wheat, rapeseed, fuel pellets, barley, oats, wheat etc.

The owner of the vessel has hired tugboats to salvage the drifting vessel, which is in no immediate danger, per the Polish Maritime Agency.

References: Safety4Sea