Salvors Reach Drifting Ro/Ro in Bay of Biscay

The ro/ro Modern Express, whose crew was evacuated earlier this week by Spanish SAR assets, continues to drift towards La Rochelle at a speed of about one knot. As of Thursday she was roughly 170 nm from shore.

French authorities said that she poses a continued danger to navigation. As of Wednesday afternoon, the rescue tug Abeille Bourbon was on scene and monitoring the Express, and the tug’s crew reported that the Express’ list was worsening.

In addition to monitoring, the Abeille Bourbon is also tasked with closing the area to navigation, if needed.

Smit Salvage has been contracted to head up a salvage effort, and the French Navy carried a Smit team to the scene with a helicopter lift to the Abeille Bourbon. 

Spanish Coast Guard assets rescued the 22-member crew of the listing ro/ro on Tuesday evening and brought them safely ashore.

The Express issued a distress signal when she was 130 nm off Cape Ortegal, Galicia, in the British zone of SAR responsibility for the Bay of Biscay. The evacuation was carried out by Spanish authorities, who provided three helicopters and one patrol aircraft.

The Panama-flagged, 10,000 dwt Modern Express was under way from Gabon to Le Havre with cargo of "3,600 tons of wood in bundles and a dozen pieces of heavy machinery" at the time that she began to list, French authorities said. As of Wednedsay morning, she had drifted into French waters. 

The Express is owned by Cido Shipping and operated by European Roro Lines, a specialist in ro/ro cargo to West Africa from Northern Europe.