The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Tug in 250-mile rescue drama
ETV took 16 hours to reach stricken cargo vessel
THE crew of a powerless cargo ship that was drifting overnight in 65mph Atlantic storms and 26ft waves off Lewis were eventually saved after a dramatic 16-hour rescue.
The near-grounding has prompted calls for an emergency tug to be reinstated on the west coast.
The Mallaig-based Fame, with five on board and carrying salmon feed, was rescued by a tug sent 250 miles from Orkney. Lifeboats and a search and rescue helicopter had been on stand-by ready to evacuate, but the ship avoided hitting rocks.
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan and the local authority are calling on the UK Government to reinstate a tug on the west coast, saying: “We are very lucky this did not end with the grounding of a vessel on our shores and this needs to be taken seriously.
“I once again call upon the UK Government to live up to its maritime safety obligations.”
Politicians have renewed calls for an emergency tug to be reinstated off the west coast after a cargo ship without power and drifting in rough Atlantic seas near rocks off Lewis was dramatically rescued in a 16-hour operation.
The Mallaig-based Fame, with five crew and carrying salmon feed, was battered by 50-65mph storm-force winds and 26ft waves before eventually being taken under tow yesterday by a tug that had sailed 250 miles from Orkney.
The Fame’s crew had dropped both anchors to try and prevent her from grounding, while two lifeboats and the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter stood by to evacuate if necessary.
Western Isles SNP MSP Alasdair Allan and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar reiterated calls for the reinstatement of a dedicated Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) for the west coast.
Mr Allan said: “After the Transocean Winner oil rig washed up on the beach of Dalmore last year we were told there was still not a case for an additional ETV based on the west coast, and that the Orkney-based ETV would be undertaking regular patrols to the Western Isles instead.
“[This] incident shows this is not good enough to protect our coast.”
He compared Scotland’s sole tug, covering a coastline of 18,000km, with that of Germany, which has a coastline of 2,389km but has eight ETVs.
The MSP added: “I once again call upon the UK Government to live up to its maritime safety obligations.”
Comhairle leader Ronnie Mackay said: “These incidents are all too frequent and we remain very concerned about the current situation which increases the risks for mariners and the environment.
“We will once again be making the case to the UK Government for a second ETV.”
The Coastguard was called just before 5.30pm on Thursday, reporting the Fame had engine failure and was drifting about one mile off Lewis, near Scarp.
A spokesman for the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) said: “Despite battling Force 8-10 winds and a swell of up to 6-8 metres, the crew on board managed to deploy both anchors to try and stop the vessel from grounding.
“The Coastguard helicopter and the Stornoway and Leverburgh lifeboats were sent to provide immediate assistance. The helicopter was ready to evacuate if necessary, but the vessel drifted clear of rocks.”
The ETV Ievoli Black was sent at full speed, arriving just before 9.30am yesterday – a full 16 hours after the initial alarm was raised.
A tow was established and the vessels headed for Stornoway Harbour, expecting to arrive around 8am today. Two ETVs were deployed following the 1993 Braer oil tanker grounding off Shetland but spending cuts resulted in this being reduced to one.
An MCA spokesman added: “The government’s position remains that the cost of shipping should be borne by the shipping industry rather that the taxpayer, though it has been recognised that the waters around north and northwest Scotland are a special case, given their significant environmental sensitivity and their contribution to both the Scottish and UK economy.
“The case for providing two ETVs rather than one was considered during discussion. The operational experience of the past six years has demonstrated that a single ETV has been sufficient to meet the needs for emergency towage in the region.”
“These incidents are all too frequent and we remain very concerned”
It is difficult to comprehend the level of endurance and danger involved in a marathon 16-hour rescue operation which took place at sea off the west coast.
A Mallaig-based cargo boat was drifting in rough seas and near potentially treacherous rocks off Lewis after losing power.
Imagine the scene: the desperate crew, battered by merciless 65mph winds and huge waves, dropped anchor and prayed for the swift arrival of an emergency tug to take them under tow.
Even although two lifeboats and a Coastguard helicopter stood by to take them off, you can imagine why they chose to sit tight rather than lose the vessel.
so, all eyes were peeled for the emergency tug’s arrival.
This is where it becomes complicated and somewhat annoying. The tug was not appearing from just around the corner, but plodding down from
Orkney some 250 miles away. The cargo vessel Fame was eventually taken under tow and led to safety, thanks to the combined efforts of all involved in the operation.
The point to note about all this is that the potentially dangerous episode once again cruelly exposed the lack of a dedicated rescue tug on the west coast after the previous one was axed due to cuts, which left just one tug in scottish waters.
Many observers fear a disaster will happen sooner or later. They point to Germany, with eight tugs covering a fraction of scotland’s coastline. That says it all.
“Onceagain cruelly exposed thelackof adedicated rescuetug onthewest coast”