Devon and Cornwall Police have issued a statement following the grounding of a Russian cargo ship off Falmouth.
The police forced has confirmed a major incident has been declared after a container ship has ran aground.
At around 5am this morning (18/12) a 180 meter cargo ship run aground just off Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth.
The Kuzma Minin is stranded and was first reported to the emergency services at 5.40am this morning.
It is understood the ship ran aground after its anchor came loose overnight in the strong winds and rough seas.
Kuzma Minin is a 23,169 tonne bulk carrier registered in Russia, running at 180.5metres long. She was built in 1980.
But police have been keen to make clear that there is no cargo on board and for people to not think this is take two of the situation that developed off the Devon coast in 2007.
Superintendent Matthew Longman, said: “This is a dynamic situation and a number of agencies including police, environment agency, maritime and coastguard are all working together on this matter.
“Our role is to ensure the safety of the crew and to stop any environmental issues in relation to this incident.
“The current situation is we do not believe that there is any major damage to the ship called the Kuzma Minin, and the risk of fuel leaks are currently low; The Maritime Agency are exploring the possibility or re-floating the ship to coincide with this afternoon’s high-tide.
“We are asking the public to stay away from the area and to allow us the space needed to handle this incident.
“The conditions are extremely unpleasant and a weather warning remains in place for the South West; we do not want to see the public placing themselves at risk by coming to the beach at this time.
“It is also important to let the public know that there is no cargo on this ship; we all remember the scenes when the Napoli ran aground in East Devon, I’m afraid there is no such spoils on the Kuzma Minin ship.”
We will keep the public informed on any major developments in relation to this incident.
MSC Napoli was a United Kingdom-flagged container ship that was deliberately broken up by salvors after she ran into difficulty in the English Channel and then took shelter in Lyme Bay.
