Ship Accidents Spain

A Norwegian freighter carrying cars and fuel sank two hours after colliding Sunday with a Liberian ship in the fog-covered Strait of Gibraltar. The Norwegian vessel Lane and the Liberian-flagged container ship Auto Coach collided nearly five miles off Ceuta. A spokesman for the Ceuta civil governor's office said the Lane's engine room caught fire before the vessel sank and the 21-member crew abandoned ship. An officer reportedly fell overboard, and a search-and-rescue effort was under way.

Overloading may have caused a tour boat carrying about 140 people to sink, killing at least 20 French retirees in Lake Banyoles, just north of Barcelona and about 350 miles northeast of Madrid. The electrically powered catamaran sank under clear skies and in calm waters. A regional government official said the boat was licensed to carry 80 people.

Two seamen were missing after a Romanian freighter sank off Spain's northwest coast Sunday, Spanish rescue services said. A spokesman said the Tololovem went down after being smashed by high waves off Cape Finisterre. A rescue helicopter plucked 14 of the ship's 16 Romanian crewmen from a lifeboat. Among the survivors was the captain of the vessel.

At least 12 people died and 28 others were missing and feared dead after an Indian cargo ship sank in icy seas off the north coast of Spain, maritime authorities said Tuesday.

Overloading may have caused a tour boat carrying about 140 people to sink, killing at least 20 French retirees in Lake Banyoles, just north of Barcelona and about 350 miles northeast of Madrid. The electrically powered catamaran sank under clear skies and in calm waters. A regional government official said the boat was licensed to carry 80 people.

The fire went out aboard the hulk of a Greek oil tanker at the northern port of La Coruna on Friday. But in the acrid aftermath two key questions nagged an angry, alarmed Spain: Why did the tanker Aegean Sea run aground? How badly is its spilled cargo fouling the sea in an area of rich marine and wildlife? The government blamed the tanker captain and the harbor pilot for the accident, while environmentalists braced for the worst.

At least 12 people died and 28 others were missing and feared dead after an Indian cargo ship sank in icy seas off the north coast of Spain, maritime authorities said Tuesday.

A tanker crashed onto rocks outside a fog-shrouded harbor entrance Thursday, breaking apart in heavy seas and spilling millions of gallons of crude oil that threatened the area's rich fishing grounds. Hundreds of people fled their homes after an explosion tore the stern loose and set off an inferno only a few yards offshore five hours after the ship ran aground. All 29 crew members were rescued from the Greek ship, officials said.

Fire broke out Saturday on a Panamanian-registered freighter off northwest Spain, and 23 sailors died, coast guard officials said. Most of the seamen apparently died of exposure after leaping into rough and icy seas, officials said. Eight survivors from the 31-man crew of the freighter Cason were plucked from the Atlantic Ocean by coast guard and navy helicopters and by ships passing in the vicinity 23 miles off Cape Finisterre, officials said.

The fire went out aboard the hulk of a Greek oil tanker at the northern port of La Coruna on Friday. But in the acrid aftermath two key questions nagged an angry, alarmed Spain: Why did the tanker Aegean Sea run aground? How badly is its spilled cargo fouling the sea in an area of rich marine and wildlife? The government blamed the tanker captain and the harbor pilot for the accident, while environmentalists braced for the worst.

A tanker crashed onto rocks outside a fog-shrouded harbor entrance Thursday, breaking apart in heavy seas and spilling millions of gallons of crude oil that threatened the area's rich fishing grounds. Hundreds of people fled their homes after an explosion tore the stern loose and set off an inferno only a few yards offshore five hours after the ship ran aground. All 29 crew members were rescued from the Greek ship, officials said.

A Norwegian freighter carrying cars and fuel sank two hours after colliding Sunday with a Liberian ship in the fog-covered Strait of Gibraltar. The Norwegian vessel Lane and the Liberian-flagged container ship Auto Coach collided nearly five miles off Ceuta. A spokesman for the Ceuta civil governor's office said the Lane's engine room caught fire before the vessel sank and the 21-member crew abandoned ship. An officer reportedly fell overboard, and a search-and-rescue effort was under way.

Two seamen were missing after a Romanian freighter sank off Spain's northwest coast Sunday, Spanish rescue services said. A spokesman said the Tololovem went down after being smashed by high waves off Cape Finisterre. A rescue helicopter plucked 14 of the ship's 16 Romanian crewmen from a lifeboat. Among the survivors was the captain of the vessel.

Fire broke out Saturday on a Panamanian-registered freighter off northwest Spain, and 23 sailors died, coast guard officials said. Most of the seamen apparently died of exposure after leaping into rough and icy seas, officials said. Eight survivors from the 31-man crew of the freighter Cason were plucked from the Atlantic Ocean by coast guard and navy helicopters and by ships passing in the vicinity 23 miles off Cape Finisterre, officials said.