A crew of 27 were saved from a container ship engulfed in flames after a Royal Navy vessel moved in to save them from 150 miles away.

It took sailors on HMS Argyll just eight hours to save every person aboard the 28,000-tonne merchant ship in the Bay of Biscay after the ship's cargo of containers and cars caught fire.

The crew aboard the Grande America merchant ship had been trying to fight the flames but were forced to abandon it, climbing into their lifeboat despite the 5m to 6m swirls in the sea at night.

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The lifeboat's engine had been damaged, which left it unable to move away from the flames leaving the crew "bobbing around like a cork in a bathtub".

On receiving a mayday message, the Argyll moved 150 miles through difficult sea conditions to launch their small sea boat, which was used to nudge the lifeboat against the safety of the frigate so the crew could be lifted to safety one-by-one.

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Lieutenant Commander Dave Tetchner, from HMS Argyll, said: "It was pretty awful for them - they'd had to fight a fire in dreadful seas. Every one of them suffered smoke inhalation. Then they faced the prospect of abandoning ship and then their lifeboat failed. It was pretty awful all round and they were shocked.

"You see container ships like this every day when you're sailing around the world. What you do not see is one in flames - it was a dreadful sight."

The 27 sailors rescued were then taken to the French port of Brest and while there were no life-threatening injuries, some required hospital treatment.

The frigate had been returning to Plymouth after nine months in the Asia- Pacific region working with allies overseas.

The MV Grande America was still aflame when Argyll left the merchant ship around 5am. The Italian-registered vessel had been bound for Casablanca from Hamburg when the fire broke out at 8pm on Sunday.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "HMS Argyll's swift and selfless response to very dangerous situation in difficult conditions undoubtedly saved 27 lives. I commend her crew. This rescue demonstrates that even on the final leg of a challenging nine-month deployment to the Far East, the Royal Navy's sailors remain vigilant and professional at all times."</s>The fire on the Grimaldi vessel Grande America started in a container stowed on deck of the vessel, Grimaldi told FreightWaves today.

The ship sank in the Bay of Biscay, off the west coast of France following the fire while en route from Hamburg, Germany to Casablanca in Morocco with a cargo of 363 containers and a load of cars, trucks and vans in the roll-on/roll-off section of the vessel.

A spokesman for Grimaldi said that an investigation is currently underway that will confirm the cargo that was on board the vessel and its value, as well as the cause of the fire. It is not thought that there was any misdeclared cargo on board, said the spokesman.

The Grande America sank on 12 March following the fire, which caused the vessel to list heavily before slipping beneath the waves, This was the third major fire on a container ship this year.

All 26 crew and a single passenger were rescued from the burning ship by a British Navy frigate on 11 March.</s>French authorities are rushing to stop an oil spill from reaching the country's west coast after an Italian-registered cargo ship sank in the Bay of Biscay.

 

 Although the government's initial statement only said there had been "dangerous materials" on board the ill-fated Grande America, local officials told French news agency Agence France-Presse that the vessel was leaking oil.

The ship had been en route from Hamburg to Casablanca, carrying 2,000 vehicles and 2,200 tons of fuel, when a fire broke out late Sunday. The 26 crew members and single passenger were forced to abandon ship when it caught fire, and were rescued by Britain's Royal Navy.

The lifeboat was "bobbing around like a cork in a bathtub," HMS Argyll officer Lieutenant Commander Dave Tetchner was quoted as saying in news story on the Royal Navy's website.

"The conditions were horrendous — the vessels were rolling at 30 degrees which made it extremely hairy getting the sailors safely on board," he said.

The drifting ship, still in flames, finally sank on Tuesday about 180 nautical miles (333 kilometers) west of France.

Vice-Admiral Jean-Louis Lozier, France's maritime prefect for the Atlantic, said the Italian shipping company Grimaldi Group had been ordered to ensure that no toxic materials reached the French mainland.

Overnight on Wednesday, the French navy reportedly discovered an oil spill several kilometers long. In a statement, Grimaldi has said it was working with French authorities to prevent any damage to the environment.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Royal Navy sailors saved the 27 crew of a container ship which turned into a raging inferno off the French coast.

The crew of HMS Argyll spent eight hours saving every soul aboard the Grande America in the Bay of Biscay after the ship’s cargo of containers and cars caught fire.

The frigate – on her way home to Plymouth after nine months away in the Asia-Pacific region – responded to a mayday from the 28,000-tonne merchant ship about 150 miles southwest of Brest: the crew were fighting a losing battle against the flames and were abandoning ship into 5m to 6m seas at night.

When they did, all 27 crammed aboard the lifeboat which smashed into the heavy seas as it launched, damaging the craft which was unable to make headway.

Despite very difficult sea conditions, Argyll succeeded in launching her sea boat which nudged the lifeboat against the frigate’s side so the Grande America’s crew could be brought aboard.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "HMS Argyll’s swift and selfless response to very dangerous situation in difficult conditions undoubtedly saved 27 lives.

"This recue demonstrates that even on the final leg of a challenging nine month deployment to the Far East, the Royal Navy’s sailors remain vigilant and professional at all times."

In the heavy seas, the orange lifeboat was bobbing around like a cork in a bathtub.

The conditions were horrendous – the vessels were rolling at 30 degrees which made it extremely hairy getting the sailors safely on board.

Royal Marines were on the ropes hauling people up, the sea boat was pushing the lifeboat against Argyll.

The 27 sailors rescued are being taken to the French port of Brest.

Lt Cdr Tetchner said none suffered life-threatening injuries but some would require hospital treatment and all were stunned by their ordeal. “It was pretty awful for them – they’d had to fight a fire in dreadful seas.

Every one of them suffered smoke inhalation.

Then they faced the prospect of abandoning ship and then their lifeboat failed.

It was pretty awful all round and they were shocked. “You see container ships like this every day when you’re sailing around the world.

"What you do not see is one in flames – it was a dreadful sight.”

MV Grande America was still aflame when Argyll left the merchant ship around 5am; the Italian-registered vessel had been bound for Casablanca from Hamburg when the fire broke out at 8pm yesterday.
The sinking of the Grande America causes a 2,200 tonnes (4,900,000 lb) oil spill in the Bay of Biscay, France.