Cargo Ship Likely To Break Up Off Gibraltar

A stricken freighter looks likely to break up off the coast of Gibraltar and efforts to rescue the vessel have been abandoned, authorities on the British colony said. The Panamanian ship New Flame is carrying scrap metal and is now half submerged after colliding with a petrol tanker on August 12.The New FlameSalvage teams plan to tow the freighter's stern section to safe water if it breaks up, Gibraltar's government said in a statement. The freighter has 750 tonnes of fuel aboard but the oil is not expected to spill if the vessel splits in two, the government said.