CARGO SHIP CRASH

The MV Modern Express was a 164-metre-long cargo ship carrying trucks, wood and other construction materials from Gabon, Africa, to Le Havre, France. In January 2016, when it reached the Bay of Biscay – not far from the Spanish coast – it lost control in stormy seas and tipped onto its side. After the 22 crew members were rescued by helicopter, salvage vessels arrived and attempted to tow the large ship. The salvage crews waited for the weather to improve, and on 3 February the ship was successfully towed to a port in Bilbao, Spain. Once here it took three weeks to tilt the ship upright, achieved by filling the ballast tank in the boat. These compartments help to stabilise a ship.

It took three weeks of salvage attempts before the MV Modern Express was delivered to her owners for scrapping