A 4,500-tonne ship adrift in the North Sea has managed to avoid hitting a gas platform - but is on course to collide with another rig, the Coastguard said.

The vessel, Vindo, broke down near the Murdoch platform, 75 miles from Theddlethorpe St Helen in Lincolnshire.

The Vindo managed to start its engines and has navigated the platform, but its motors have failed again and it is on course for an unmanned platform.

Coastguards said the ship, with nine crew on board and laden with 4,200 tonnes of fertiliser, was drifting towards the rig in a force 10 gale.

Fortunately disaster was averted when the cargo boat crew managed to start the engines and avoid the huge platform.

The Vindo is now drifting towards the second platform. It was unclear whether the second rig was still in use, but no one was aboard.

In September last year, the 90m-long Vindo crashed into another large cargo vessel, Dealer, after failing to respond to radio messages.

Nobody was injured in that incident, which took place 17 miles off the coast of North Foreland, Kent, and Vindo, which was heading for Seville, Spain, was allowed to continue on its way.

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