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An operation was under way to rescue sailors stranded on a Russian cargo ship that ran aground "dangerously close" to a UK beach as it was pounded by large waves, 55mph winds and heavy rain.

The 16,000-tonne ship, called the Kuzma Minin, became stranded less than 100ft off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, Cornwall, in "extreme" and "horrific" weather conditions in the early hours of Tuesday.

At about 2pm reports emerged that the ship had refloated.

A major incident had been declared and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) warned that it would involve a very "dangerous" rescue where "a lot could go wrong".

Mirror Online earlier reported that at high tide, the Coastguard would attempt to refloat the bulk carrier, which has 18 Russian crew and no cargo on board, after it dragged its anchor and ran aground in darkness just before 6am.

Winchman Niall Hanson was lowered down to the ship from a helicopter in 60mph winds. Waves crashed over the vessel's deck as the conditions deteriorated, Cornwall Live reported.

(Image: Geraint Roberts/SWNS)

The ship, which had set off from Terneuzen - a port in the Netherlands where it had reportedly been held since May due to the shipping company's alleged debts - had a list of about five degrees.

Earlier this year, conditions on board were said to be so dire that locals in Terneuzen launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy food, water, toothpaste, razors and other supplies for the Russian sailors, who had been eating nothing but potato soup for months, a union claimed.

In Tuesday's incident, the ship suffered minor damage to its bow, but there were no reports of any pollution.

Inspections over the past 20 years have revealed more than 100 defects on board the vessel.

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Mark Thomas, senior coastal operations manager for the Coastguard, earlier said: "With the horrendous conditions the ship has drifted to shore.

"She's on the beach, we think the hull part of the ship is just on the reef.

"At the minute they are safe on board, there are no injuries. We're working with the harbour officers to get a tow rope attached.

"The conditions are horrendous, the harbour rugs are working at the very limit of their conditions with waves breaking over the deck.

"The plan is to tow her out when the tide comes in at about lunchtime. It's a dangerous operation, there's lots that could go wrong."

(Image: PA)

The Kuzma Minin had been anchored several miles off the coast of Falmouth and spent several hours sheltering from the storm.

Overnight it continued to move very slowly in a limited area, but at 3am it began to slip anchor and drifted towards the shoreline.

At 4.30am, the crew and tide manage to pull the Kuzma Minin back out to sea.

Over the next hour she moved back and forth between the coast and sea - gradually moving towards the shoreline.

At about 5.30am, it grounded on a sandbank less than 100ft of Gyllynvase beach.

Graham Parker, 43, from Falmouth, said the Coastguard had attempted to rescue the crew from the tanker but feared the weather was too rough.

(Image: SWNS)

"The lifeboat crew were out there in minutes to see how they can help. It's amazing considering most are volunteers and they rely on donations," he said.

Nigel Kitto, who lives locally, praised the work of the lifeboat and helicopter teams working in "horrific" conditions.

He said: "The helicopter and lifeboat have been going in and out and it's incredible to see - the skill of the helicopter pilot.

"The helicopter is going sideways here against the wind and struggling a bit.

"It's amazing to watch but there are people on board so fingers crossed that everyone gets back to shore OK."

The efforts to rescue sailors from the beached tanker come on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the Penlee lifeboat disaster.

(Image: PA)

The 1981 tragedy, which occurred in nearby Penzance, claimed the lives of 16 people in similar circumstances.

"There are dangerous rocks down there and this brings up memories for everyone, I imagine," Mr Kitto added.

Falmouth resident Jess Hughes described this morning's weather on the Cornish coast as "extreme".

She said: "As you come over the crest of the hill there's just this huge ship where there shouldn't be.

"Last night it was horrendously windy and now there's gravel up by the road so it was a good high tide."

In a further statement, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "There will be an attempt later today to re-float the Russian vessel which ran aground earlier this morning off Cornwall.

(Image: SWNS)

"HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating assistance to the Kuzma Minin, a Russian flagged 180 metre bulk carrier, which dragged and grounded on the western side of the port entrance between Swanpool and Gyllyngvase beaches at around 5.40am today.

"The vessel has 18 Russian crew on board but there are no reported injuries. There is no cargo on board. She currently has a list of five degrees but there is no report of any pollution.

"HM Coastguard and Devon & Cornwall Police have declared a major incident due to the large number of people that use the beach and the disruption to traffic in the town.

"The Secretary of State's Representative (SOSRep) Maritime Salvage & Intervention is closely monitoring the situation and the local Environment Group is also being kept informed.

"Tugs are on their way to the vessel and Falmouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat is standing by at the scene. Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team have cordoned off an area around the ship.

(Image: Geraint Roberts/SWNS)

"HM Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter based at Newquay was used to transfer a marine pilot on to the vessel.

"The attempt to refloat the vessel will take place during high tide later today using harbour tugs."

An eyewitness tweeted: "Grounded cargo ship dangerously close to beach. Help is close. Stay safe everyone."

Another eyewitness added: "A 16,000 ton Russian cargo ship has washed up on Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth.

"Thinking of everybody on the tugs and lifeboat this morning - terrible conditions for a rescue mission."

Gyllyngvase Beach - a Blue Flag beach - is considered one of the most popular beaches in Cornwall thanks to its wide arc of golden sand.

Police have asked people to stay away from the scene.

Superintendent Matthew Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “This is a dynamic situation and a number of agencies including police, environment agency, maritime and coastguard are all working together on this matter.

“Our role is to ensure the safety of the crew and to stop any environmental issues in relation to this incident.

“The current situation is we do not believe that there is any major damage to the ship called the Kuzma Minin, and the risk of fuel leaks are currently low; The Maritime Agency are exploring the possibility or re-floating the ship to coincide with this afternoon’s high-tide.

“We are asking the public to stay away from the area and to allow us the space needed to handle this incident.

“The conditions are extremely unpleasant and a weather warning remains in place for the South West; we do not want to see the public placing themselves at risk by coming to the beach at this time.

“It is also important to let the public know that there is no cargo on this ship; we all remember the scenes when the Napoli ran aground in East Devon, I’m afraid there is no such spoils on the Kuzma Minin ship.”

The Kuzma Minin, based within the Arctic Circle, is named after a Russian merchant who became a national hero when he helped to fend off a Polish invasion in 1612.

The vessel was completed in February 1980 and modernised in 2004, and measures just under 600ft in length and 75ft in width.

It delivers cargo around Europe, mainly to northern ports, and has a top speed of 10.5 knots (12mph) with one main engine and four auxiliary engines.

The Kuzma Minin is operated by the Murmansk Shipping Company and is registered in Murmansk, a port city in far north-western Russia.

The firm claimed to Russian media that "dangerous conditions" off Falmouth were to blame for Tuesday's incident, saying that the ship became caught on an underwater chain.

It threatened to launch legal action to reclaim expenses.

The vessel had been held in the Netherlands for seven months due to the company's alleged debts.

The stranded crew members' plight attracted the attention of locals, who launched a crowdfunding campaign to provide food, water and other supplies, including toothpaste and razors, amid the dire situation on board.

Femke Key, one of the organisers of the crowdfunding campaign, told the Moscow Times in September: “Many of the locals here have a bond with the sea, some worked on boats themselves or are avid sailors.

"They felt some sort of connection with the poor sailors.”

(Image: SWNS)

Ms Key said the Russian sailors were initially hesitant to accept the aid, but they eventually gave in.

She added: “You can see they are proud people and felt ashamed by this situation. But they literally had no food or water left."

Gijs Mol, of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), said after inspecting the Kuzma Minin that the ship's supplies had reached "critical levels" before locals stepped in to help.

He added: “All they ate for months was potato soup."

But the Murmansk Shipping Company said at the time that the Kuzma Minin "was equipped with all the necessities" and accused the ITF of trying to smear the Russian firm's reputation.

In October, the ITF told Russia's Tass news agency that the ship was seized because the Murmansk Shipping Company had debts of more than £1.9m, while highlighting the sailors' plight.

The company denied the claims, saying the report contained "inaccurate information".

Over the past 20 years, inspections have revealed more than 100 defects on board the ship, including 13 as the ship was held in the Netherlands until its release on December 6, Cornwall Live reported.

The single-deck ship ran aground as Cornwall and other parts of the UK were being battered by heavy rain and strong winds.

Falmouth was being hit by 55mph wind gusts and heavy rain around the time the ship ran aground, according to the Met Office's website.

Forecasters have issued yellow 'danger to life' warnings for heavy rain for Cornwall and other areas in southern England, and in South Wales.

Yellow warnings for rain and 65mph gales were issued for all of Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, a number of lorries tipped over on board a P&O ferry arriving in Cairnryan in dreadful weather conditions.