22 crew members rescued from stricken Panama-flagged Ro-Ro vessel 148 nm off Cape Ortegal
Spanish salvage teams on January 26 rescued 22 crew members from Panama flagged Ro-Ro vessel Modern Express who were evacuated by helicopters to A Coruña, Galicia, the Spanish search and rescue (SaR) agency Salvamento Maritimo (SASEMAR) reported.
The ship issued a distress signal when she was 148 miles off Cape Ortegal in the Bay of Biscay. The 163-meter-long ship had a list of as much as 40 degrees, which combined with wind force 8 SW and heavy seas.
The ship was en route from Gabon, Africa to Le Havre, France.
The SAR operation was carried out by UK MRCC Falmouth, carried out by SASEMAR, the French rescuers of Centres Régionaux Opérationnels de Surveillance et de Sauvetage (CROSS) and the Rescue Coordination Center at Finisterre, which initially mobilized the helicopters Helimer 401, Helimer 207 Gijon, Xunta Pesca II and aircraft Sasemar 102.
