Aberdeen Coastguard watch over safe return of vessel – Fishupdate.com
Aberdeen Coastguard watch over safe return of vessel Published: 10 January, 2007
Loch Eriboll
ABERDEEN Coastguard is co-ordinating the safe return of the fishing vessel Ulysses, which was taking in water and losing power this morning off the far North West coast of Scotland.
A Coastguard Rescue helicopter airlifted coastguard pumps on board, which have kept the vessel afloat.
At 6.30am, Aberdeen Coastguard was contacted by the skipper of the
vessel, the Ulysses reporting they were suffering a serious
ingress of water, were losing power and their pumps could not keep
up.
Aberdeen Coastguard immediately sent the Coastguard Rescue
helicopter Mike Uniform from Stornoway to the scene with pumping
equipment and Thurso RNLI all weather lifeboat.
Another fishing vessel in the area went to assist the Ulysses, which was in difficulty seven miles off the mouth of Loch Eriboll. The crew of the fishing vessel prepared for the worst and made ready their emergency equipment; life raft, EPIRB and were wearing life jackets.
The Durness Coastguard Rescue Team were keeping a watch on the incident from the shoreline and reporting in to Aberdeen Coastguard.
The winchman from the Coastguard Rescue helicopter went down onto the
deck of Ulysses with the Coastguard pumps which are now working to
keep the vessel afloat and the helicopter has returned to Stornoway.
Thurso RNLI all weather lifeboat is escorting Ulysses along the coast
this morning to make repairs at Scrabster.
Ulysses is a 20m fishing vessel registered in Banff, with four crew
and was returning from fishing grounds when she got into difficulty.
The weather conditions are wind force 6 with a moderate sea.
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