The crew of a fishing trawler had to be rescued after fire broke out in
vessel’s engine room
The 14 crew of the Faroese-registered Fishing trawler Vardborg were about six miles off Fraserburgh when the alarm was raised just after 0025BST today Monday July 1st.
An RAF Rescue Helicopter Rescue 137 From RAF Lossiemouth, The Fraserburgh and Peterhead Lifeboats and other vessel were called out.
But due to the 40,000 litres of fuel on board, a decision was made to tow the 38metre trawler to Peterhead Harbour for fire crews to tackle the blaze.
Aberdeen Coastguard’s said the fishermen had managed to contain the blaze, activated the on-board fire fighting systems and had attempted to extinguish it with halon gas.
Non essential crew boarded life rafts in the event of the situation getting worse.
The Peterhead Lifeboat began towing the trawler into Harbour at 0125BST, with the Fraserburgh Lifeboat acting as an escort where it was met by local part time fire crews, the Peterhead coastguard rescue team and the harbour tug.
However during the tow the rescue helicopter discovered, through its thermal imaging camera, that the fire had gone out.
George Downie, Aberdeen Coastguard watch manager, said, ” With the amount of fuel on board this fishing trawler, this was an extremely risky rescue that needed to be undertaken with the safety of not only the crew on the fishing trawler, but also those on board the lifeboats and nab vessels in mind. The safest option was certainly to allow the lifeboat to take the trawler under tow to an isolated berth in the local port, where the crew could be removed and fire crews could ascertain wither the fire had been put out”.
The trawler is now safely in Peterhead Harbour.
