News update Tuesday afternoon Jan 20th Five rescued from sinking boat Five people have been rescued from a fishing boat which sank this morning in rough seas North of the Butt of Lewis. Stornoway Coastguard was notified of a fishing vessel in distress just before 11am this morning. The Irish fishing vessel Iuda Naofa was taking on water 48 miles north of the Butt of Lewis. Coastguard helicopter R100 was on the way to drop a salvage pump onto the vessel, but she quickly became swamped and started to sink. Two crew were airlifted onto the nearby sister fishing vessel, the Star of Hope, after which three other crewmen were transferred by helicopter to the Western Isles hospital, where they are being treated for mild hypothermia. Coastguard Duty Watch Manager, Paul Tunstall said: “The weather conditions on scene were very rough seas with southerly force 6 winds. Evacuating the five crew swiftly and safely before the vessel went down was a great achievement.” You wait ages for a ferry – then along come three at once Three CalMac ferries are plying the Minch today, with the Loch Seaforth making crossings between a temporary berth at Arnish and Loch Broom, while the MV Isle of Lewis continues to operate the Stornoway Ullapool route. Clipper Ranger is also expected to cross tonight. The Loch Seaforth arrived without fanfare at the weekend, while in the offices and committee rooms of power storms are raging over the planned suspension of vehicle crossings during work on the Ullapool Linkspan, and the timing, delay and state of completeness of harbour works at both Stornoway and Ullapool. Scotland’s Shadow Minister for Transport and the Islands, David Stewart, has today lodged a question in Parliament asking if an impact study into the effects on the Western Isles economy was carried out before the Scottish Government took the decision to push back improvement works on Ullapool harbour from February to April, and Cllr John Mackay, Chair of Transportation and Infrastructure at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, has stressed the need for adequate timetables to be in place during the Ullapool linkspan closure.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 14:47:51 +0000
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