On Tuesday morning, German rescuers called off their search for four crew members missing from a British ship that sank in the North Sea.

Off the coast of Germany, the Verity collided with a larger ship, the Bahamian Polesie.

According to the rescue service, rescue efforts were suspended on Tuesday night and will not be resumed.

The British-flagged ship was rescued with two crew members on board.

Another member’s body was found in the water about 22 kilometers (13 miles) south-west of Heligoland, a German archipelago in Schleswig-Holstein.

At about 05:00 (03:00 GMT) Tuesday, the Verity, carrying steel from Bremen to Immingham in Lincolnshire, collided with the Polesie, leaving Hamburg for La Coruña in Spain.

There were no injuries among the 22 crew members on the Polesie. There is still no clear explanation for the collision.

A German navy helicopter, a water police boat, two sea rescue cruisers, and two sea rescue cruisers from the German maritime search and rescue service participated in the search, according to the rescue service.

Divers had attempted to find signs of life in the wreck, but were hampered by difficult conditions.

Rescue efforts were impeded by strong currents and poor visibility around the wreck, according to the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies.

As a result of breaking “international and moral law”, the company confirmed to ITV that it had fulfilled its obligations.