How big is the sinking Verity cargo ship? Size, date built, and route | UK News

The vessels smashed into one another at around 5am local time 12 nautical miles southwest of Heligoland – a small archipelago close to the German coastline.

All radio contact with it was lost after 3am, with a search for the vessel now underway.

Follow the latest updates on the Verity cargo ship in our live blog

As well as the fatality, two members of the seven-person crew on the Verity have been rescued and four castaways are missing.

Reports have said the 22 people who were on board the Polesie are uninjured.

As the search continues, what do we know about the Verity?

What size is the Verity?

According to Vessel Finder, the Verity is 91 meters (299 feet) long and 14 meters (46 feet) wide.

It has a gross tonnage of 2,601 tonnes. The gross tonnage is the volume of all enclosed spaces on a vessel, including the engine room and other non-cargo spaces.

Its deadweight is 3,360 tonnes. A ship’s deadweight is the measure of a vessel’s weight carrying capacity, not including the empty weight of the ship.

The ship, which has a UK flag, arrived at the port of Bremen in Germany on the morning of October 18.

What date was the Verity built?

The ship was built in 2001 and originally sailed under the name Estime.

Its name changed to Union Mercury in 2004 before changing once again to Verity in 2008.

Vessel Finder states it travelled 77,247 nautical miles in 2022 as well as making 57 port calls.

Where did the Verity come from and where was it going?

The Verity had departed from Bremen at around 7pm on Monday night – which was 8pm local time.

It had been on course for Immingham, a key trading port in Lincolnshire.

The Polesie, which is a 190-metre long vessel, had been sailing from Hamburg to La Coruña in Spain at the time of the collision, departing the German port at around 7.45pm local time.

At the time of the crash, the ships were said to be sailing through ‘winds of six Beaufort’, or about 12mph.

Officials have said this whipped the waves up sea three meters at the time of the crash.

The P&O Cruise ship Iona, which left Southampton three days ago for Hamburg, was sailing nearby when the crash happened, with staff currently aiding search and rescue efforts.

‘P&O Cruises Iona is currently involved in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Germany,’ it said in a statement.

‘The incident is ongoing and Iona’s cooperation complies with international maritime law as well as being consistent with the company’s moral and legal obligations.

‘Iona is scheduled to be at sea today and this event should have no impact upon tomorrow’s scheduled call to Rotterdam or the onward itinerary.’