Disabled Norwegian ship being towed to Sweden

GDYNIA, Poland, Feb 25 (Reuters) A Norwegian ship, which had began sinking off Poland's Baltic coast earlier in the day, was being towed to Sweden, the Maritime Economy Ministry said in a statement today.

''The Norwegian container ship Ocean Caroline is being towed to Sweden by a Swedish cutter (...) The captain and two officers, who had remained aboard, were transferred to a Swedish cutter after being fished out of the water by a Polish rescue vessel,'' the statement, published by PAP news agency, said.

Eight of the ship's 11-man crew had been evacuated earlier by a Polish naval helicopter, leaving the three officers to secure the disabled ship and its cargo.

The Ocean Caroline began listing after springing a leak 100 km north-west of this Baltic port, but its exact cause was not immediately known, sea rescue spokeswoman Miroslawa Wieckowska told Reuters.

Reuters SP DB1951