Major incident declared

A major incident has been declared after a container ship has ran aground in Cornwall.

At around 5am this morning (18/12) a 180 meter cargo ship run aground just off Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth.

Coastguard have control of the area at this time and all 18 crew currently believed to be Russian nationals are accounted for.

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.