MV FAS Provence was a cargo ship that sank in January 2012 off the coast of Malta.
She was built in 1986 by Rickmers Reismühlen in Bremerhaven, Germany as MV Britta Thien, and sailed under the German flag for two years.[1] She did not operate between 1988 and 1997, when she was renamed and reflagged as a Bahamian ship.[1] She sank on 13 January 2012, about 80 miles (130 km) offshore from Fort Delimara, during a storm in the Mediterranean Sea while unmanned and under tow.[2] At the time of her sinking, she was operated by Döhle (IOM) Ltd.[3]
FAS Provence had a gross tonnage of 6,071[1] and a deadweight tonnage of 8,050 tonnes.[3] She measured 129.6 metres (425 ft) in length and had a beam of 20.1 metres (66 ft).[1] She was powered by a single diesel engine, and had a speed of sixteen knots.[1]
The “Fas Provence” sunk early Jan 13, 2012, morning 80.97 nautical miles south east of Delimara at 4 a.m. in a depth of 300 metres within international waters covered by the service area of the Malta Coast Radio Station, operated by the AFM. The AFM has been following the troubled towing operation of the unmanned ship for some days. The ship, which was not carrying any cargo, was being towed by th e two tugs “West” and “Izmir Bull”.
Due to the recent gale force winds, the vessel posed a serious hazard to navigation and regular broadcasts were transmitted alerting ships in the central Mediterranean of the hazard. On Jan 12 the master of the “Izmir Bull” informed Malta Radio that the ship’s condition was deteriorating fast with the vessel listing to one side and taking in water. The AFM commu nicated the information to Transport Malta and deployed an aircraft to make a reconnaissance flight and assess the situation. All the necessary alerts were raised. Transport Malta and the AFM were in liaison to monitor the situation for any possible pollution. The “West” was to remain on standby on location. The AFM was to deploy another reconnaissance flight to the area later on Jan 13. Transport Malta has officially informed the Bahamas of the situation.https://www.webcitation.org/6D4EU4lJN?url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/armed-forces-monitor-sunk-ship-80-miles-from-Delimara
