A tugboat carrying 200 tons of diesel is at risk of sinking off the Devon coast after a collision with a vessel it was towing.
Eight people had to be rescued from Christos 22, which was travelling from Germany to Turkey, and was damaged as it tried to anchor a mile off Hope's Nose in Torbay.
The master in chief of the tug and the engineer later boarded two Royal Navy ships, which are conducting a salvage operation to stop the boat from sinking.
The watch manager at Brixham Coastguard praised the efforts of HMS Severn and HMS Lancaster, saying their quick response is likely to save the boat.
But a Brixham Coastguard spokesman said: "The problem is this is happening quite close to shore and if this boat sinks there could be a big pollution problem.
"There is a lot of diesel on the boat, and there's a good chance the diesel would leak if it sinks.
The crash happened near Hope's Nose "It would contaminate the local beaches - all this part of the coast is a holiday coastline. It is also a fishing area and would impact on the local birds and wildlife."
He added that if the boat cannot be saved the Royal Navy ships will instead begin the "difficult" task of pumping diesel out of the water.
The operation is ongoing with the support of two tugs, one from Brixham and one from Portland, which are pumping water off the stricken boat.
Christos 22 had pulled into the coastline in order to check a problem with the tow at around 7pm last night when it was hit and began taking on water rapidly.
The MV Emsstrom, the decommissioned vessel being towed by the tug became separated but has now been secured.
Torbay Life Boat and Exmouth Life Boat were the first to respond to a May Day call, rescuing six of the eight crew who were unhurt.
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