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The Wreck Of ‘New Flame’ As someone whose career was in the shipping industry, I am always interested when something happens to a ship. So, when visiting Gibraltar recently (September 2007), I was fascinated by the wreck of New Flame which can be seen lying just a few hundred metres from the lighthouse at Europa Point, Gibraltar’s southernmost point. New Flame is (or, perhaps more accurately, was) a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier carrying scrap iron. With 23 crew members on board, she left Gibraltar on 13 August and sustained serious hull damage following a collision with the Dutch tanker Torm Gertrud. As a result of the collision, in which none of the crew were injured, the ship took on water in two of its forward holds and lies half-submerged with its bow resting on a reef. Fortunately, the tanker sustained no major damage and continued on its way to Algeciras. Following the accident, salvage experts removed all of the fuel oil from New Flame so as to remove any risk of pollution, and are now working on a plan to cut the ship in two and to remove the wreck from what is an area protected under Gibraltar’s nature conservation laws. It is reported that, for reasons which are unknown, the ship sailed from Gibraltar without first obtaining the necessary clearance from the Port Authority. After the crew were rescued, the Captain was arrested but later released on bail and allowed to return to his home in Greece pending a full investigation into the circumstances of the accident. Interestingly enough, both the Spanish and Gibraltarian authorities are working on a traffic separation scheme for vessels sailing in the Bay of Gibraltar to ‘deconflict’ shipping there. It will be interesting to learn more of this incident in due course. However, in the meantime, the wreck of New Flame gives much interest to the tourists visiting Gibraltar’s Europa Point. Visit Brian MacDonald’s website at: www.brianmacdonald.info
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shipwreck, New Flame, Gibraltar, Europa Point,
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