A MARITIME investigation will be held following a collision between two cargo ships off the Thanet coast.

Dover coastguard confirmed that the 3,183 tonne 90 metre Vindo and the smaller 1,692 80 metre were involved in the accident in the Dover Strait 17 miles off the North Foreland at 2.30am on Wednesday.

The Antiguan flagged ships are thought to have struck when they attempted to overtake each other although there were no injuries and no pollution resulted.

Both vessels were able to carry on their journeys. The Dealer is carrying animal feed to Teignmouth in Devon and the Vindo is on its way to Seville in Spain with a load of fertliser.