Stricken Vessel Found in Irish Sea
A vessel that first reported suffering steering problems off the south west of Scotland early this afternoon has now been found and towed to safety. Liverpool Coastguard received a 999 call from one of the two people on board the vessel just after 1 p.m. this afternoon, reporting they were having mechanical problems. They said they were just south of Burrow Head, having set off from Oban and heading to Liverpool. The Ramsey RNLI all-weather lifeboat was sent to the scene, but they could not track down the vessel. Liverpool Coastguard managed to get hold of those on board again and soon established they were in a different position near the Cumbrian coast. The Workington RNLI all-weather lifeboat joined the search, but again on arrival at this new position there was no sign of the vessel.
Wind Farm Workers Evacuated from Barge
At 8:26 a.m., the morning of Jan. 30, Liverpool Coastguard were contacted by workers on the work barge UR101 reporting that the barge anchor cables were breaking in heavy seas. The barge had 42 workers onboard and the barge was secured by four anchors, at various times during the night three anchor cables broke leaving the barge secured by only one anchor. A decision was made to evacuate the barge in worsening weather conditions throughout the night. Initially, thirty three workers were evacuated by the barge tug Kingcraig and two support vessels Voe Jarl and Maggy M. The nine remaining workers this morning made a decision that the situation had worsened and for the safety of life contacted the coastguard for assistance.
