Boat towed to Grimsby after being thrown into the air by explosion
A FISHING boat thrown into the air following an explosion has been towed to Grimsby.
An unpreventable explosion occurred in waters under the Galwad-Y-Mor about 25 miles north of Cromer, in Norfolk, on December 15.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) believe it could have been caused by old munition on the seabed.
The captain was reportedly “injured and dazed” and other crew members have been “badly injured”. The MAIB says there was “nothing the crew could have done” to prevent the incident.
The crew had been hauling in a string of crab pots in the North Sea when the explosion happened. The boat was thrown into the air and lost its propulsion and electrical power after its drop back down to sea.
Its wheelhouse was completely wrecked.
All seven crew were rescued by the Esvagt Njord, an offshore support vessel, and taken to hospital via lifeboat and helicopter.
The boat was then towed to Grimsby.
The report reads: “While recovering crab pots using its hauler, Galwad-Y-Mor was extensively damaged and serious injuries were inflicted on the crew by an explosion.
“The explosion was in the water and external to the vessel. “There was nothing that the crew could have done to prevent the accident.
“The source of the explosion has not been determined, but it was possible that old munitions on the seabed were disturbed as the vessel hauled its pots.
“Athough extensively damaged and flooded, it is almost certain that Galwad-Y-Mor stayed afloat because the bulkheads either side of the engine room maintained their watertight integrity, containing the flood.”
The MAIB has launched a full investigation into the incident and has informed the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Receiver of Wreck and the Ministry of Defence.