Estonian Ferry Collides With Dutch Tug

An Estonian passenger ferry with 49 people on board collided with a Dutch tug off the southern coast of England on Monday, injuring one member of the tug's five-man crew, British coastguards said. No one was hurt on board the RoRo ferry, Neptunia, which was on its way from Folkestone, southern England to Boulogne in northern France.

Coastguards said both vessels had been damaged in the collision and had taken on some water. One crew member on the tug suffered a head injury but coastguards said it was not severe enough to require immediate hospital treatment.

The boats collided just before 6.00 a.m., six miles (10 km) southeast of the English port of Dover.

"The damage caused a small hole in the port quarter of the ferry," the maritime and coastguard agency said in a statement.

"No injuries have been reported to anyone on board the ferry and she has continued to make her way to France."

Coastguards said an emergency towing vessel had been sent to the accident and an aircraft would scan the area to check for any pollution in surrounding waters.