4 December, 2007

AN OIL tanker that ran into engine trouble about 30 to 35 miles north west of Orkney is currently being escorted into Scapa Flow by Shetland Coastguard tug Anglican Sovereign.

At 6.55pm last night (Monday) the Jag Pushpa was spotted by Lerwick coastguard on their Automatic Identification System, which shows how fast a vessel is going. When they saw that she had nearly stopped they contacted the ship’s captain.

A coastguard spokesman said: “If a vessel appears to be going close to zero for a bit of time we want to question that.”

The captain said they had engine problems and were trying to fix them. Due to increasing bad weather the coastguard decided to send their emergency towing vessel to the tanker’s aid.

The tug left Lerwick at 7.45pm and reached the tanker at 3.15 am. Both vessels are expected to arrive in Orkney later this afternoon.

The 47,000 tonne Jag Pushpa is owned by the Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd and flies the Indian flag.