Cargo ship runs aground for second time at same port

A cargo ship has run aground for the second time at the same UK harbour.

The Zapadnyy ran aground on sand as it made its way to Silloth, in Cumbria, from Bremen, in Germany, according to online ship tracking information.

The coastguard said the ship ran aground on Saturday as it approached the harbour at around 12:00 GMT.

It was refloated on the high tide, shortly before midnight, and is now in port at Silloth.

Nobody was injured in the incident and divers are expected to examine the ship's hull for damage, the coastguard said.

The Zapadnyy is a 77-metre-long tanker, which carries molasses - a dark, heavy syrup made during the sugar refining process.

The Belize-registered tanker also ran aground near Silloth harbour in 2016.

Reports at the time said the ship got into trouble while attempting to enter the harbour.

In 2011, the Zapadnyy crashed into a floating dock at the Lurssen Yard, in Bremen, according to the Shipwreck Log website.

The ship suffered damage to its foreship and began to flood, forcing the vessel to be intentionally run aground.

In April 2023, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) detained the Zapadnyy after it failed a safety inspection.

The MCA found 21 "deficiencies" and said five were "grounds for detention".

Its fire-dampers and fire doors were deemed "not as required" during the inspection and its crew was found to lack familiarity with fire drill procedures.

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