[1] On 22 March 2003, RMS Mülheim was on a voyage from Cork, Ireland to Lübeck, Germany,[2] transporting 2,200 tonnes of scrap car plastic.

[3] The ship ran aground at approximately 0500 GMT in Gamper Bay, between Land's End and Sennen Cove, during which time there was "moderate visibility and fog patches".

[4] On investigation, it was discovered that the chief officer—who had been on watch at the time—had caught his trousers in the lever of his chair when trying to get up, causing him to fall and rendering him unconscious.

[3] Although the Sennen Lifeboat and Land's End Coastguard Cliff Team were able to reach the wreck quickly, the six-man Polish crew of the vessel were airlifted to safety by a search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose.

On 31 October 2003, the swells pushed the wreck of the RMS Mülheim into a rocky inlet called Castle Zawn.

[6] A year after the wreck, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) reported that plastic and foam from the wreckage was still washing up on Cornish beaches.