A major incident has been declared this morning in a Cornish seaside town involving a Russian bulk carrier. A large response from various sectors of the emergency services has been launched.

The German-made, Kuzma Minin, was anchored in the docks in Falmouth when gale force 9 winds forced the 16,000 tone ship ashore around the bay to Gyllngvase Beach.

Russian ship at Gyllngvase Beach, Falmouth.

An RNLI volunteer, who also works in the IT Department at the Woodlane Campus said that he was on call and had to tell the university he was unable to come in. “I was meant to be in this morning but I got the call that there’s a ship on my beach. I was needed here’, he said.

The RLNI launched out of Falmouth docks towards the 180.5 meter vessel just after 6 am in the fleets pilot boats.

The ship, built in 1980, has remained beached for the entire morning. Plans had emerged that they intended on using the high tide to help get the ship back out to sea.

Russian vessel surrounded by RLNI boats attempting to assist.

Kuzma Minin travelled from the port of Terneuzen in the Netherlands on 12 December and arrived in Falmouth Bay just after midday on 14 December, according to the Marine Traffic website.

The deputy director of the Murmansk Shipping Company, which own the Kuzma Minin, told the Telegraph that the ship had become stranded due to “unsafe shipping conditions” off the British coast.

The ship had travelled some distance out of control in the early hours of the morning before running aground just offshore. A coastguard helicopter was seen landing on the ship at around 9.30am.

Russian cargo ship grounded on Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth from Truthfal on Vimeo.

It has been reported that the ship is now back out to sea with the help of a tugboat. After nearly eight hours being grounded the ship and her 18 crew safely made it free, just in time before the tide switched lowering the water levels once again.