Monjasa-Ranger

Severe weather off Cornwall has caused the death of a seaman and injured two others. At 1140hrs, 3 January 2012 Falmouth Coastguard reported that a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose had airlifted three crewmembers from the IOM registered chemical tanker, Annie PG, after she had been hit by a large wave during severe weather in the English Channel. Two of the men were taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro where they are now undergoing treatment. A third crewmember was flown to the Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where he later died. The sea state was reported as waves up to around 30 feet in height with a 40 knot wind. The RNAS Culdrose helicopter crew reported that there was a lot of water breaking over the deck and that the ship was pitching and rolling severely. It seems that the crewmen were working on the open deck trying to secure an item of equipment that had broken loose when the ship was hit by a particularly large wave. The ship itself suffered no critical damage in the incident and is continuing towards Falmouth where she is expected to dock this evening (Wed 4 Jan 11). There is a BBC news report on the incident here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-16395353