Crew rescued after ships collide

The Hague - The Dutch coastguard rescued 18 crew members from a ship that collided with another vessel in the North Sea on Monday during a storm off the coast of the Netherlands. The vessel, the Maltese registered "Julietta D." cargo ship, bound for Amsterdam from Germany, collided with an oil and chemicals tanker, the coastguard said in a statement.

After an hour-long rescue operation with helicopters, the coastguard reported that all 18 crew members were taken off the vessel. The "Jullietta D." is rudderless and taking in water. The situation on the oil tanker is stable, it added. Rescue efforts were made more challenging by storm Corrie, which is causing wind gusts of up to 120 kph (75 mph) in the North Sea.

(Credit: MarineTraffic)