Several missing after Manx-registered ship sinks off German coast

Verity is Manx registered vessel

A Manx-registered cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany.

One person has died, two others have been rescued, and several other people are missing from the vessel after the collision in the North Sea.

Emergency services say the Verity was heading from Bremen to Immingham in Lincolnshire when it was involved in a crash with another vessel.

Shipping industry websites list the vessel as sailing under the Manx flag.

It collided with the Bahamian Polesie at around 5am local time (3am GMT) this morning (24 October).

The Polesie had departed from Hamburg on a journey to La Coruña in Spain.

According to the BBC, two sea rescue cruisers from the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS), a German navy helicopter and a water police boat are aiding in the search efforts.

A P&O cruise ship which is in the vicinity is also contributing and survivors are being given medical care.

The cause of the collision is still unclear.

In a statement released to Manx Radio, the Isle of Man Government confirmed the registration, saying: "The Isle of Man Ship Registry was informed at 07:25 hrs this morning (24th October 2023) that the Isle of Man registered cargo ship Verity (IMO Number 9229178) had been involved in a collision and has sunk off the coast of Germany.

"The collision occurred in the early hours of this morning and there is currently an ongoing search and rescue operation being coordinated by the German Coast Guard and involving numerous other vessels which are within the vicinity.

"This is an ongoing situation and the initial reports are the collision occurred at approximately 04:00hrs local time in the sea area known as the German Bight.

"The Ship Registry will provide further information when available."

We'll have more on this developing story as we have it.