A massive hunt is under way for a missing fisherman after his prawn trawler was sunk by a ferry late on Thursday night (August 5)
The fisherman and mate were catulted from the tiny prawn trawler Homeland when it was hit by the 27,000 tonne ferry Scottish Viking.
One was plucked from the water by a another fishing boat the Good Friendship, but the other fisherman is still missing after the accident five miles off the fishing village of St Abbs in Berwickshire, Scotland.
Four RNLI Lifeboats were launched and a RAF Rescue Helicopter also went to the scene
The Scottish Viking, which had just put our from Rosyth in Fife for Zeebrugge in Belgium, stopped its journey and launched its own rescue boat.
A Coastguard said:” It all just happened so quickly so we don’t know if the trawler was split in two, sunk or rolled over”.
“The fisherman who survived was pretty luckily to have been picked up so quickly”.
The coastguard added: “ The fisherman who was not in the water for too long. He need medical treatment. The ferry stopped to launch its own rescue craft to look for the missing fisherman”.
Fife coastguards watch manager Steve Higgins said : “ WE launched Eyemouth, Dunbar, St. Abbs and Berwick lifeboats and they searched the area.
Also involved in the search were 20 local fishing boats.
Coastguards said the two fishermen were brothers. The one saved was aged 20 the missing fishermen is aged 16 and both come from North Sheilds in North of England.
The Ferry Scottish Viking is owned by Norfolkline.
The missing fisherman as not yet been found and the search is still ongoing. Weather conditions in the area are fair but with sea mist. And light winds
