It is breaking news and it sounds as though it is in a canal and not open water; however, surely this is a tragic and immediate warning to us. Would the 'other assets' that are now covering SAR be able to conduct and co-ordinate a large scale incident such as this in the North Sea or English Channel. I only know 2 assets that could, one was retired after 40 years service last March and the other has just been cancelled under SDSR. Such incidents were regularly trained for in the respective simulators as part of our core tasks. This alarm bell has to be rung loud and clear to No.10, please take the time to write to your local MP; Hanfimar's post #962 is a good template.
BBC News - Cargo ship 'hits passenger ferry' near Amsterdam