Revealed: British cargo ship that sunk off Germany was almost lost to the sea seven years ago when its engine failed near North Devon coast in gale force winds

• Verity sank in the early hours of Tuesday after colliding with another ship Polesie 

The British cargo ship which sank off the coast of Germany early on Tuesday was almost lost after its engine failed close to north Devon seven years ago, it has been revealed.

The ship Verity sank in the early hours of this morning after colliding with a larger cargo ship, the Polesie, the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) confirmed.

It had seven crew members onboard at the time of the tragedy, of which two have been found alive, one has tragically confirmed to have died and the remaining four remain missing.

Now footage has emerged from an incident in January 2016 showing the moment the ship had to be rescued by the RNLI and a Dutch warship after the 300ft vessel lost power and began veering dangerously close to the north Devon coastline.

It comes as the search for the remaining crew members is ongoing, with experts estimating they would be able to survive for up to 20 hours once they entered the water.

Video footage captured in 2016 shows RNLI volunteers working to secure the ship

Verity’s engine failed just four miles away from a rocky outcrop off the coast of north Devon

In 2016 Verity’s engine failed just four miles from Hartland Point, a dangerous 325ft rocky outcrop which protrudes into the ocean. 

Two RNLI boats from Padstow and Appledore were scrambled to the site amid rough seas and force eight gale winds, with a Dutch warship soon joining to help keep the ship and crew safe.

At that time it was carrying 3,000 tons of scrap metal. Frigate HNLMS De Ruyter helped manage the tow line to the ship until a tug could arrive at the scene from Holyhead in the early hours of the next morning.

The effort lasted around 24 hours in total before the tug arrived and pulled the ship safely back to land.

At the time, the RNLI hailed the ‘excellent team work from the RNLI lifeboats and skipper and crew from the Dutch Warship’, adding all did ‘an amazing job in difficult conditions.’ 

Meanwhile the search and rescue operation is ongoing after Verity collided with Polesie at around 3am, 14 miles south-west of the German island of Helgoland. 

Two RNLI boats from Padstow and Appledore were scrambled to the 2016 incident amid rough seas and force eight gales

Today: The 300ft vessel, which was on its way from Bremen in Germany to the British port of Immingham, sank following the impact and rescuers have launched a desperate mission to find four people who are missing. Pictured: Rescue vessels at the scene

The P&O Cruises ship Iona, which left Southampton three days ago for Hamburg, Rotterdam and Bruges in Belgium, was among vessels that joined in the search.

READ MORE: Hoping for a miracle at the bottom of the North Sea: Divers are sent down to check for signs of life inside sunken British cargo ship after it collided with second vessel leaving one dead and four missing off Germany 

In footage obtained from the ship, passengers are given an update that ‘Iona is involved in a search and rescue operation’.

‘We’re looking for persons in the water from another vessel that has been involved in an incident earlier this morning,’ they are told over a Tannoy. ‘Our ship’s company are fully prepared and are standing by to assist with this operation.’

Rescuers are still desperately searching for the four remaining crew members – but that search in the 15c North Sea is being hampered by 30mph winds, 10ft waves and poor visibility due to fog. 

The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie that had left Hamburg for La Coruna in Spain, remained afloat with 22 people on board after the collision. The Verity was the smaller vessel with a length of almost 300 feet, compared to the Polesie’s 625 feet. 

Two rescue cruisers, an emergency tug, a pilot boat, a police patrol boat and a helicopter are helping with the search. 

Robby Renner, the head of the emergency command, said his team are now ‘doing everything humanly possible’ to rescue more crew members alive. 

Renner said it is possible crew members are trapped inside the ship’s hull and in response, a diving operation has been launched into the waters where the Verity sank, which are around 98ft deep. Divers will try to locate the ship and establish whether there are ‘any signs of life’ inside, Renner said.

‘We haven’t found the missing people yet. Therefore we have to assume they can still be in the ship. Our rescue operation is in full swing. We are now doing everything humanely possible to rescue more people alive,’ Renner said this afternoon. 

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