Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Grounded Russian cargo ship freed

A 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship ran aground off a beach in Cornwall.

The Kuzma Minin grounded off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth at about 05:40 GMT.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) declared a major incident and said the 590ft (180m) ship had a list of about five degrees.

The massive vessel, which had 18 Russian crew members on board but no cargo, was refloated in a "tricky and delicate" operation at high tide.

Three harbour tugs and a lifeboat towed the ship off the beach just after 14:00.

Marc Thomas, senior coastal operations manager, said the coastguard had been forced to work "really hard to manoeuvre the vessels" during windy conditions.

Latest news from Cornwall and on the Kuzma Minin

Image caption An earlier attempt to refloat the ship failed after several tow ropes snapped

Falmouth harbourmaster Mark Sansom said: "This has been a successful and well co-ordinated operation involving multiple agencies.

"We would like to recognise the outstanding performance of the pilot and of all vessel crews involved in what was a very demanding incident.

"The Kuzma Minin has been taken to Falmouth Bay to anchor, in order for it to be inspected."

The coastguard said there had been no reports of any pollution. An earlier effort to refloat the ship failed when tow ropes snapped.

A helicopter team winched coastguard members on to the ship earlier in order to check up on the Kuzma Minin's crew.

Supt Matthew Longman from Devon and Cornwall Police warned members of the public to stay away from the beach where the ship ran aground.

"It is important to let the public know that there is no cargo on this ship," he said.

"We all remember the scenes when the Napoli ran aground in east Devon. I'm afraid there are no such spoils on the Kuzma Minin."

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Kuzma Minin was grounded for more than eight hours

Former pilot, David Barnicoat told the BBC it looked like "a classic grounding".

"It sounds as if she dragged anchor and the engines may not have been ready, or she may have had some other problem," he said.

"Once that anchor breaks from the sea bed and you start dragging, then you have no control whatsoever."

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One witness, Megan Hocking, said she was "thinking of everybody on the tugs and lifeboat - terrible conditions for a rescue mission".

Falmouth resident Jess Hughes described the weather on the Cornish coast as "extreme" and said it had been "horrendously windy" on Monday night.

Gyllyngvase Beach is a sandy tourist beach about 10 minutes from Falmouth town centre.</s>British rescuers have refloated a Russian ship with 18 sailors trapped on board after it dragged its anchor and grounded off the southwest coast of England. A lifeboat has been standing by for the beached crew.

A Russian cargo ship dragged its anchor in strong winds off the coast of the Falmouth, Cornwall on Tuesday, relocating the 180-meter vessel to within a few meters of the coast.

Dramatic footage posted on social media showed a rescuer from the local coastguard rescue team being lowered onto the huge ship during the operation to re-float it.

The MV Kuzma Minin had "dragged her anchor and grounded" between the Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches near the town of Falmouth, according to Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The ship, which was stranded for around 10 hours, was not carrying any cargo and there were no reports of any pollution from the grounding. Tugs will be attached to the vessel and "the plan is to re-float the vessel," the coastguard said.

Unverified footage on social media on Tuesday afternoon purported to show the ship heading out into Falmouth Bay after being refloated.

Every 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>A 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship ran aground off a beach on the south coast of Britain this morning as the area was battered by winds of up to 74mph.

Emergency services launched a major operation after the Kuzma Minin became stranded off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth in Cornwall.

Some 18 crew but no cargo were believed to be on board. The RNLI launched out of Falmouth just after 6am with pilot boats from the nearby docks also in the water.

Witnesses have taken pictures of the boat close to the shore. It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow warning for severe weather with 65mph winds forecast.

Gales have already been recorded at up to 74mph in Cornwall and 40 knots on the River Tamar - disrupting traffic.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the 590ft (180m) bulk carrier registered in Russia, built in 1980, had dragged its anchor and had a list of about five degrees.

Sean Stratton, who spotted the ship on the beach in Falmouth today, tweeted: 'Russian ship wrecked on Gyllyngvase beach! She's broadside onto the beach.

'In my opinion Falmouth shipyard tugs won't be powerful enough to pull her off the suction effect of sand. A salvage tug is needed but they no longer station one at Falmouth... I'm claiming wreckers' rights!'

An HM Coastguard spokesman said: 'HM Coastguard is currently co-cordinating assistance to a 180-metre bulk carrier which dragged her anchor and grounded on the western side of the port entrance between Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches at around 5.40am.

'The vessel has 18 Russian crew on board. There is no cargo on board. She currently has a list of 5 degrees but there is no report of any pollution.

'Tugs are on their way to the vessel and a lifeboat is standing by at the scene. The Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team have cordoned off an area around the ship.

'Tugs will be attached to the vessel and as the tide rises, the plan is to re-float the vessel.'

Commuters are being warned of potentially treacherous conditions on the roads this morning amid a series of weather warnings.

The Met Office is urging rush hour drivers to take care with heavy showers and strong winds expected to batter parts of the UK.

London and the South East, Northern Ireland, South West England and Wales have been issued with warnings today, with heavy rain and gusts of 65mph expected.

Heavy rain is expected between 5am and 9pm across much of West, South and parts of Mid Wales, with strong winds expected to affect the Welsh coast.

The rain warning for South Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea, and Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex is in effect until 9pm.

The worst of the weather is expected to have cleared by mid-afternoon but further east the worst conditions are likely to be during the afternoon and early evening.</s>A rescue operation is underway after a Russian cargo ship ran aground on a beach in Cornwall as strong winds whipped across the southwest. Emergency services were launched just after 6 AM (GMT) to assist the Kuzma Minin ship, which is stuck just metres off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth Bay. There is no cargo on the vessel, which has 18 Russian crew on board. Tugs will be attached to the ship to help re-float it when the tide rises.

The Met Office had issued a yellow warning of severe weather for the areas with 65mph winds forecast. An HM Coastguard spokeswoman said in a statement: “HM Coastguard is currently co-cordinating assistance to a 180-metre bulk carrier which dragged her anchor and grounded on the western side of the port entrance between Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches at around 5.40am.

“The vessel has 18 Russian crew on board. There is no cargo on board. She currently has a list of 5 degrees but there is no report of any pollution. “Tugs are on their way to the vessel and a lifeboat is standing by at the scene. The Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team have cordoned off an area around the ship.” “Tugs will be attached to the vessel and as the tide rises, the plan is to re-float the vessel.”</s>A huge Russian cargo ship has run aground off a beach in Cornwall.

The 16,000-tonne vessel, believed to be the Kuzma Minin, grounded off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth at about 5.40am on Tuesday.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the 590ft (180m) ship had dragged its anchor and has a list of about five degrees.

There is no cargo on the vessel, which has 18 Russian crew on board. Tugs will be attached to the ship to help re-float it when the tide rises.

The Met Office had issued a yellow warning of severe weather for the areas with 65mph winds forecast.

An HM Coastguard spokeswoman said in a statement: "HM Coastguard is currently co-cordinating assistance to a 180-metre bulk carrier which dragged her anchor and grounded on the western side of the port entrance between Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches at around 5.40am.

"The vessel has 18 Russian crew on board. There is no cargo on board. She currently has a list of 5 degrees but there is no report of any pollution.

"Tugs are on their way to the vessel and a lifeboat is standing by at the scene. The Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team have cordoned off an area around the ship.

"Tugs will be attached to the vessel and as the tide rises, the plan is to re-float the vessel."</s>A Russian cargo ship with 18 crew members on board has run aground off the coast of Falmouth, Cornwall, in southwest England, following bad weather.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the 180-meter (590 foot) vessel "dragged her anchor and grounded" on the western part of the port entrance between Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches at around 5:40 a.m. (GMT) Tuesday.

She says the ship carried no cargo and there were no reports of any pollution from the grounding. Tugs will be attached to the vessel and as the tide rises "the plan is to re-float the vessel."

A lifeboat is standing by and the Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team has cordoned off the area around the ship.

Falmouth resident Jess Hughes has described the morning weather as "extreme."</s>A major coastguard operation is underway after a Russian cargo ship ran aground off the coast of Cornwall.

The 16,000-tonne Kuzma Minin has 18 crew members onboard, but no cargo.

The coastguard said the vessel dragged its anchor while leaving Falmouth harbour and is now listing by five degrees.</s>Rescue vessels were heading to assist a Russian bulk cargo ship after it ran aground off beaches in southwest England, Britain’s coastguard said on Tuesday. The 180-meter long ship ‘Kuzma Minin,’ with 18 Russian crew on board, dragged its anchor in strong winds and grounded between the Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches near Falmouth in Cornwall, Reuters reports. “There is no cargo on board… There is no report of any pollution,” the coastguard said. Tugs were on their way to the vessel and a lifeboat is standing by at the scene. The Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team have cordoned off an area around the ship and planned to refloat the ship when the tide rose.</s>A 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship that ran aground off the Cornish coast has been re-floated during high tide and will now undergo inspection.

The Kuzma Minin grounded off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth at about 5.40am on Tuesday, in what was described as extreme and horrific weather.

The vessel, which had 18 Russian crew on board, has now been taken to Falmouth Bay to be inspected.

Mark Sansom, Falmouth harbour master, said: “We can confirm that the Kuzma Minin – a 180 metre Russian bulk carrier – was successfully re-floated at 2.08pm.

“This has been a successful and well co-ordinated operation involving multiple agencies.

“We would like to recognise the outstanding performance of the pilot and of all vessel crews involved in what was a very demanding incident.

“The Kuzma Minin has been taken to Falmouth Bay to anchor, in order for it to be inspected.

“We are now discussing the future of the vessel with the Secretary of State’s Representative (SOSRep) Maritime Salvage and Intervention and the vessel owners.”

Mr Sansom confirmed there was no evidence of any pollution.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Devon and Cornwall Police had declared a “major incident” but that has now ended.

Video footage released by the MCA showed winchman Niall Hanson being lowered down to the ship in 60mph winds.

Witnesses took pictures of the boat close to the shore and it came after the Met Office issued a yellow warning of severe weather with 65mph winds forecast.

Nigel Kitto, who lives locally, praised the work of the lifeboat and helicopter teams working in “horrific” conditions.

“The helicopter and lifeboat have been going in and out and it’s incredible to see – the skill of the helicopter pilot,” he said.

“The helicopter is going sideways here against the wind and struggling a bit.

“It’s amazing to watch but there are people on board so fingers crossed that everyone gets back to shore OK.”

The efforts to rescue sailors from the beached tanker come on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Penlee lifeboat disaster.

The 1981 tragedy, which occurred in nearby Penzance, claimed the lives of 16 people in similar circumstances.

“There are dangerous rocks down there and this brings up memories for everyone, I imagine,” Mr Kitto added.

Falmouth resident Jess Hughes described this morning’s weather on the Cornish coast as “extreme”.

“As you come over the crest of the hill there’s just this huge ship where there shouldn’t be,” she told the Press Association.

“Last night it was horrendously windy and now there’s gravel up by the road so it was a good high tide,” she added.

As the rescue operation was under way in Cornwall, the emergency services in Scotland were dealing with six lorries overturning on a P&O ferry sailing at Cairnryan ferry terminal, in Wigtownshire.

No one is reported to have been injured in the incident and Police Scotland said all 52 passengers and 56 crew on board are safe and well and no-one was injured.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the ship moved back out into Falmouth Bay under her own power with the assistance of five tugs and a salvage vessel.

“Two Maritime and Coastguard Surveyors will be going on board to carry out an initial assessment of the vessel, before the vessel can be brought alongside for a full inspection,” a spokeswoman said.</s>A rescue operation is under way after a 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship ran aground off a popular beach in Cornwall in the early hours of the morning.

The coastguard believes that strong winds overnight were the cause of the accident. Locals have been warned to keep off the beach as rescuers attempt to re-float the vessel.

The 16,000-tonne Kuzma Minin was photographed before dawn by locals, grounded off Gyllyngvase beach near Falmouth.

There is no cargo on the ship, which has about 18 crew members on board and it was reported to have set off from the Dutch port of Terneuzen.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the 590ft ship had dragged its anchor and has a list of about five degrees.

There are hopes the carrier can be re-floated, and at around 9am a coastguard pilot was winched on to the stranded ship by helicopter.
Russian cargo vessel MV Kuzma Minin runs aground and then is refloated off Gyllyngvase, Cornwall, and taken to anchor in Falmouth Bay for inspection, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.