Search called off for four missing sailors after British ship sinks in North Sea crash

Two rescued and one body recovered after freight ship crashes near coast of Germany

Investigators have called off the search for four sailors missing after their British-flagged cargo ship collided with a larger vessel in the North Sea.

Rescue ships, aircraft and divers sent to the wreck of the Verity to check for any signs of life were unable to find anything on Tuesday, after the cargo ship crashed en route from Germany to the port of Immingham on England’s east coast.

Two sailors were rescued and the body of one other was recovered after the crash shortly before 5am on Tuesday, some 14 miles southwest of the German island of Heligoland, with the crew of seven having set sail from Bremen the previous night.

The cargo ship “Polesie” was guided into the harbour of Cuxhaven after colliding with the “Verity" (RENE SCHRODER/NEWS5/AFP via Getty Images)

Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said an overnight search of the area where the missing sailors could be produced no results, after which rescuers stopped the search.

Search efforts on the surface will not be resumed on Wednesday, but officials will consider “what measures can be taken around the site of the accident in the course of the day”.

Officials said the water temperature at the time of the collision was around 12C, which experience has shown people can survive in for about 20 hours.

Michael Ippich, of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service told reporters at the time of the search: “The conditions on the spot are extremely difficult.

“Because of the weather and visibility, it’s incredibly difficult to conduct such an operation.”

The freighter “Verity” collided with a larger ship in the North Sea (Dietmar Hasenpusch/dpa via AP)

P&O ship the Iona scanned the water near to where the British cargo ship Verity sank following a collision (PA Wire)

The larger cargo ship involved in the collision – the Bahamas-flagged Polesie – had 22 people on board and was able to reach the German port of Cuxhaven under its own steam.

Pictures emerged on Wednesday showing the damage suffered to Polesie during the crash as it was guided into the harbour of Cuxhave in the early hours of the morning.

The cause of the collision is not yet known.