Acid Ship Sinks Of Bay of Biscay
A Maltese-registered tanker carrying 8,000 tons of potentially explosive sulphuric acid sank in the Bay of Biscay on Tuesday, French maritime authorities said. The 23 crew were picked up by ships and were safe, they said. A spokesman for France's Atlantic Surveillance and Rescue Center said there was a slight risk that the sulphuric acid would explode on contact with water. "The motor tanker Balu is reported sunk in international waters this morning about 130 miles (209 km) north of (the Spanish port of) La Coruna... while facing severe weather conditions," read a statement from Traschimar. French maritime authorities said earlier that it was not clear why the 5,795-ton tanker had sunk, and described weather conditions as "normal" for the time of year.
Dead Stowaways Found Onboard Panamanian Cargo Ship
Two dead stowaways were found on Monday in the cargo hold of a ship, which docked in the northwestern port of La Coruna on a voyage from west Africa, the local port authority said. The Panamanian-flag ship, carrying 4,000 tons of cotton seeds, arrived on Sunday night from the West African country Togo after a stopover in neighboring Benin. "The bodies were not crew and one would suppose they were stowaways from sub-Saharan Africa," said a spokesman for the port authority. Spain is considered the gateway to Europe for many Africans, who often brave the Straits of Gibraltar, the rough waters separating Spain and Morocco, in their efforts to enter Spain illegally. Official figures show that nearly 15,000 Africans tried to enter Spain last year, and many others drowned in the attempt.
