Fishermen rescued after scalloper sinks
14th December 2023
Two fishermen have been rescued after their vessel struck a submerged rock and sank off Out Skerries in Shetland. The 11m scalloper, named locally as Swift Wing LK 1, struck the rock around 2nm west of Out Skerries on the morning of Friday, 1 December and began to sink rapidly. The two crew, who had taken to a liferaft, were picked up by a nearby salmon vessel.
Lerwick lifeboat launched at 7am after being tasked to attend the incident, along with the Coastguard SAR helicopter.
The two fishermen were transferred to the lifeboat on its arrival around 45 minutes later. With neither in need of medical attention, they were taken to Symbister in Whalsay.
The RNLI described sea conditions at the time of the incident as flat calm, with light winds. The air temperature was said to be close to freezing ‘on one of the coldest nights of the winter so far’.
Lifeboat coxswain Stephen Manson said: “This outcome of this sinking could have been much worse. With a liferaft onboard their vessel, the crew did the right thing by contacting the Coastguard and then taking to their liferaft.
“With cold sea temperatures right now, a liferaft was the best option, and we’re grateful that a nearby vessel was soon able to pick them up.
“We’re pleased to have been able to safely land the casualties in Whalsay after their ordeal.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
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Main image credit: Mick Bayes
