LONDON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Lifeboats were launched Saturday to go to the aid of two Hong Kong registered cargo ships that collided in the English Channel.
None of crew, mainly Chinese and Indian, on board the two ships were injured in the collision.
The UK Coastguard called for the immediate launch of the Dover and Ramsgate RNLI all-weather rescue lifeboats just after 2:15 a.m. Saturday following reports that a bulk carrier and a crude oil tanker, with a total of 49 people on board the two vessels, had collided and were at a complete stop in the channel, which is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
With initial reports of damage to at least one of the ships and the location of the incident in the southwest channel of the busy main shipping lane, both RNLI rescue vessels raced to the scene, nearly 15 miles northeast of Dover.
A UK Coastguard Rescue Helicopter was also scrambled to assess the damage to the vessels, 183-meter-long crude oil tanker, the Seafrontier, registered in Hong Kong, and the Huayang Endeavour, a 75,000-tonne bulk carrier, which is also registered in Hong Kong.
Huayang Endeavour was en route to Lagos in Nigeria while Seafrontier was travelling to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala.
A spokesman for the RNLI said that both vessels suffered damage in the collision, with the Seafrontier having a hole above the water line and damage to the superstructure.
On reaching the ships, one of the lifeboats was tasked with standing alongside the Seafrontier while the second lifeboat stood ready to assist the Huayang Endeavour. A tug was also called to the scene from Boulogne, France.
Both lifeboats were stood down at 5:44 a.m., by which time the tug was in assistance and the Seafrontier was taken under tow, according to RNLI.
A UK coastguard spokesman said: "Although both vessels have been damaged, there is no water ingress and no pollution."
