Pledge to recover bodies from boat

THE wreck of the FV Nancy Glen, which capsized off Tarbert on January 18 with three fishermen on board, will not be raised by accident investigators.

However, the Scottish Government has vowed ‘to support efforts to retrieve the bodies of the two missing fishermen, after the boat was lost in Loch Fyne last month, within sight of Tarbert, where the crew and their families lived’. It also promised to meet the costs of the operation.

One of the fishermen’s wives, Gosia Krawczyk, reacted on Facebook: ‘Przemek and Duncan – boys you are coming home! Thank you Scottish Government.’

Last week the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) completed an underwater survey of the wreck, and announced it had collected enough evidence without having to recover the sunken vessel, which is lying at a depth of more than 140m (460ft) off Barmore Island in Loch Fyne.

One fishermen, John Miller, survived but the bodies of two crewmen, Duncan MacDougall and Przemek Krawczyk, have not been found. Campaigners, who have raised £230,000 for the men’s wives and children, said on their Justgiving page: ‘The families wish to retrieve their loved ones as soon as possible.’

Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents Steve Clinch said: ‘The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has now completed its review of the data obtained from last week’s underwater surveys of the wreck of FV Nancy Glen.

‘From this, and other evidence collected, we now know enough about the circumstances of the accident for us to complete our investigation, and we do not intend to recover the wreck.

‘Our thoughts are with the families of Duncan MacDougall and Przemek Krawczyk, who have been informed of the decision.’

But the Scottish Government has agreed to examine whether the vessel can be lifted from its position to enable recovery of the bodies.

A spokesperson said: ‘The Scottish Government will work with salvage specialists and the families of the Nancy Glen crewmen to support efforts to retrieve the bodies of the missing fishermen. This would mean raising the vessel to a position just below the surface to allow divers to enter and operate as safely as possible. The costs of any recovery would also be met by the Scottish Government.’