Container ship Valencia Senator narrowly escaped colliding with Bermuda's treacherous reefs on Tuesday night as she was heading straight towards North Rock.

Harbour Radio reported that the 30,000 ton Cyprus-registered vessel, en route to Valencia, Spain, was 31 miles west of North Rock, on an easterly course, at 6.55 p.m.

"It would have given her just under two hours before she would have run aground carrying general cargo in containers,'' the spokesperson said.

He added that after a few calls on the radio, the ship responded and was instructed to alter its course to the northeast.

"They were unaware of the extensive reefs to the northwest of Bermuda. The crew was navigating with a very small-scale chart which showed North America, Europe and the entire North Atlantic from Brazil to Greenland where Bermuda shows up a little larger than a pencil dot.''