Battle to pump out fuel from wrecked ship

The owners of a cargo ship which ran aground in rough seas in North Wales are hoping to remove around 35 tonnes of fuel from the stricken vessel over the next few days.

Two lifeboats and Royal Navy and RAF helicopters were involved in the dramatic rescue of seven Polish crew after the MV Carrier got into difficulties and struck rocks near Colwyn Bay on Tuesday.

A “small quantity” of oil which was in use at the time has seeped out of the 82-metre long vessel but the impact of the oil leak is expected to be “minimal”, Environment Agency Wales said.

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The main fuel supply for the boat is still thought to be intact, the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said, and German shipping firm Reederei Erwin Strahlmann, which owns and manages the vessel, said contractors had been appointed to work “around the clock” to remove the fuel.

In a statement, the company said: “The work will continue on a round-the-clock basis until all pumpable fuel is recovered.

“The aim is to complete the pumping operation during the holiday weekend.”