Sinking coaster gets towed to St Austell Bay from off the Lizard.

A massive cargo vessel which started sinking 12 miles off the Lizard Peninsula yesterday has been towed to safety in St Austell Bay.

A salvage operation is set to get underway to help the save Barbados-registered Sea Breeze which got into difficulty and started taking on water yesterday morning.

Divers will assess the hull of the stricken ship this morning and a temporary magnetic repair patch will be fitted. A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "The Sea Breeze has been towed to St Austell Bay where repair work will take place to its damaged hull.

"Our surveyors will examine the cargo vessel to ensure it meets UK and international safety standards, once the repair work has been completed by the owners and operators ."

A meeting between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, along with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and other interested parties is due to take place later today to put together a salvage plan. The 87m long ship was transporting limestone from Liverpool to Shoreham when the engine room became flooded and malfunctioning pumps failed to clear the rising water. The crew, all Russian nationals, were rescued by lifeboat crews from the Lizard and Falmouth yesterday.

They were taken to the Mission to Seafarers in Falmouth where they were said to be in good health apart from a few cuts and grazes. Lizard and Falmouth RNLI Lifeboats and a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, near Helston, were all involved in the rescue operation.

The captain had remained on board to help with the salvage operation.

Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Crew-rescued-sinking-ship-Lizard-Point/story-20785545-detail/story.html#ixzz2vdKodekI