Drifting cargo ship

SHETLAND coastguard has sent the Orkney-based emergency tug north to keep an eye on a 130 metre long cargo ship with 13 crew on board that lost power and started drifting in rough seas north west of Foula in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The 8,000 tonne Industrial Kennedy was transporting a load of steel pipes from Gibralter to Orkanger in Norway when she got into trouble.

The German owners of the vessel Concord Shipping are trying to charter a commercial tug to take the freighter under tow.

In the meantime the coastguard has dispatched the emergency towing vessel Herakles to stand by 160 miles north west of Foula, in case the vessel starts to drift too close to some of the oil installations in the area.

A coastguard spokesman said the ship put in an emergency call at 4.45am on Thursday to say she had lost power after experiencing problems with her turbo charger.

On Thursday afternoon she was drifting south east in a six metre swell, with the north westerly winds set to increase to gale force.