The crew of a Bermuda-bound sloop have abandoned ship in the face of Hurricane Melissa.

An incident report from the Department of Marine and Ports Services said that on Tuesday afternoon RCC Bermuda received a satellite telephone call from crew on the 40ft yacht Il Tender, which had been sailing to the island from New York.

It was said that the yacht was about 200 miles northwest of Bermuda with sail damage and limited engine power to navigate the worsening sea conditions.

The report said: “Given the forecast approach of Hurricane Melissa in the next 48 hours the crew wish to abandon the vessel. Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre undertakes generation of a surface picture for nearby merchant vessels in the area able to assist.

“The Marshall Islands-registered oil tanker Kurfa was determined to be the closest ship and the sailing vessel Il Tender is able to establish VHF radio communication with the ship at 12.30am on Wednesday.”

The report said the four people on board Il Tender were able to safely abandon the yacht in difficult sea conditions for the Kurfa, travelling from Galveston, Texas, to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The vessel, which diverted to Bermuda to bring the crew to shore, was scheduled to arrive at about 11pm yesterday before continuing on to Rotterdam.