Ship runs aground in Shannon estuary

Efforts will be made this evening to re-float a bulk carrier vessel that has gone aground near the mouth of the river Shannon.

The Cypriot-registered ship, the Princess Vanya, became stuck on a sandbank in the Shannon estuary last night but workers must wait for high tide before attempting to dislodge it.

The ship’s crew have all been brought to land and there are no reports of any injuries.

The vessel holds a cargo of over 59,000 tonnes of bauxite, which is an inert metal ore, and it was en-route from western Africa to Askeaton in Co Limerick.

Experts say that there is no danger of any pollution to the estuary being caused by the cargo but primary objective remains rescuing the ship.