A cargo ship carrying timber has become stuck in a river in Cambridgeshire.
The Baltic Arrow became wedged in the River Nene, in Wisbech, at around 9am on Tuesday morning while on its way to the port.
It had travelled to the east of England from Brunsbuettel in Germany, according to global ship tracking website, MarineTraffic.
The captain of the 80m-long ship reported the “grounding” and video footage showed the vessel diagonally positioned in the river.
In Cambridge, a small red tug boat was seen desperately trying to free the cargo ship by pushing or pulling it free from the river banks, with no success.
The incident has been likened to the blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021, when the gigantic Ever Given container ship held up billions in global trade after it was stuck in the vital waterway for nearly a week.
Read more from Sky News:
Four men arrested at Rishi Sunak’s home
England top group at Euro 2024
Hottest day of the year as temperatures hit 30C
A Wisbech Port spokesperson told the Daily Mail the incident in Cambridge was a “rare situation” but because the tide had fallen the plan was to wait “until [the] vessel is afloat at next high water to free her from the banks”.
They added: “All berths at Wisbech port are NAABSA berths which stand for ‘not always afloat but safely aground’ so technically all vessels ground whilst moored here during low water.
“The river bed is very soft and sludgy here and the vessel is designed to safely ground so we are confident of no ongoing issues.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Sky News has contacted the Port of Wisbech for comment.
