A search for four people missing after two ships crashed off the coast of Germany has been called off.

British-flagged cargo ship Verity sunk after it hit another boat – the Polesie – at around 5am on Tuesday, about 14 miles southwest of the island of Heligoland, in the North Sea.

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Seven people were aboard Verity at the time. One person died and two were rescued and taken to hospital, where they remain.

Shortly afterward the collision a signal from the Verity was lost.

Rescue ships and aircraft involved in the search were unable to find the four missing crew members on Tuesday.

Divers sent down to the wreck of the Verity to check for any signs of life were unable to find anything.

Officials said the water temperature at the time of the collision was about 12C (54F), which experience has shown people can survive for about 20 hours.

Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said the entire sea area where the missing sailors might be was searched again during the night without results, and rescuers then stopped the search.

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The Isle of Man Ship Registry said on Friday it was “saddened to confirm that the German Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre have called off their search and rescue operations and despite the best efforts of all involved, four crew members remain unaccounted for”.

“The Ship Registry’s thoughts are with the seafarers that sailed on board the Verity, their families, friends and loved ones,” it said.

It thanked all of those involved in the search and rescue efforts over the past days.

“The team will continue to work with the relevant authorities in the ongoing investigations being conducted by the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB),” it added.

Verity was headed from Bremen for the UK port of Immingham when the vessels collided.

The larger cargo ship involved in the collision – the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, which had 22 people on board – stayed afloat and was able to reach the German port of Cuxhaven.

The cause of the collision is still unknown.

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