Striken 7,000-ton gasoline tanker is towed to safety following collision in English Channel

A stricken tanker loaded with a type of gasoline was being towed to safety today after colliding with a huge cargo vessel in the English Channel.

All 13 crew of the 6,970-tonne YM Uranus were rescued by helicopter after the Maltese-flagged vessel was in collision with the 179,000-ton Hanjin Rizhao about 60 miles west of the Brittany coast in north-west France.

No one was hurt in the incident and none of the Uranus cargo - a specialist gasoline product called heavy pygas - is thought to have escaped.

The boat took in some water, but that inflow has stopped, and the cargo tanks were not breached, international ship manager V. Ships said, confirming that there had been no pollution of the waters.

'I think the danger is behind us now,' V. Ships spokesman Patrick Adamson confirmed.

He said the company would cooperate fully with investigators.

Listing heavily: The YM Uranus after the collision with a Panamanian bulk container off the Brittany coast

Sinking: The 400ft, Maltese-flagged YM Uranus was carrying 6,000 tonnes of solvent after the collision

V. Ships said the tanker vessel was struck by the large bulk carrier which was heading the same direction.

French maritime officials said they believed the boats had collided but were waiting to interview the two ships' captains to learn more.

The crew were airlifted to Lanveoc Poulmic, south of the French port of Brest.

The Uranus, which had been listing heavily to port, was connected to a French tug which was towing the vessel slowly to Brest.

The Turkish-owned Uranus was heading for Amsterdam from the Italian port of Porto Marghera when the collision occurred with the Panamanian-flagged Hanjin Rizhao at around 4.30am today.

The crew of the stricken vessel was made up of six Filipinos, five Russians, one Bulgarian and one Latvian.

The YM Uranus cargo ship is carrying more than 6,000 metric tons (6,600 tons) of pygas, which is flammable.

Officials said it is listing slightly to one side but is still afloat.

The collision occurred about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the island of Ouessant, off the coast of France's Brittany region. The Turkish-owned YM Uranus had been traveling from Porto Marghera in Italy to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

The 208-yard Hanjin Rizhao remained on the scene to assist the smaller boat, then was authorised to continue on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, France's Environment Ministry said.

Rescue mission: French western navy prefecture spokesman Marc Gander points to a a map during a press conference after the crash

B1JTPG Satellite Image of The United Kingdom and The English Channel