Malta’s armed forces rescued three seafarers from a small product tanker that broke in two and sank off the Mediterranean island nation during a storm late on Wednesday night.
According to Maltese officials, the 1,300-dwt product tanker Lady Sandra (built 1975) snapped in half after encountering heavy weather.
The Armed Forces of Malta dispatched a rescue helicopter to save the Togo-flagged tanker’s three-strong crew, who ended up in the sea after their liferaft was found to be punctured.
The crew comprised of two Egyptians and one Romanian.
Malta Islands Sea Cruises, which acquired the Lady Sandra in January, could not be reached for comment.
The ship was built in the Netherlands for use on European rivers and coastal estuaries. It is unclear what it was doing in heavy seas 13 nautical miles off Malta.
There were no reports of pollution, which would indicate that the ship was not carrying any cargo at the time of its sinking.
