A Cargo Ship And a lifeboat needed assistance in rough weather.
| Accident type | : Engine failure |
| Vessel type | : Cargo vessel and its salvage tug. |
| Location | : Off the Cornish coast near Porthleven |
| Enroute | : From Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Dublin |
| Casualties/Pollution | : None |
A container ship raised an alarm at 2pm on Friday as the vessel was drifting under anchor off the Cornish coast near Porthleven due to engine failure. The vessel was about three miles off the coast near Mullion and was suffering with complete engine failure.
The vessel’s lifeboat crew responded to the alert and remained on station until the arrival of the salvage tug.
On Saturday morning, the lifeboat was at a mile off Newlyn when a rope fouled in its propeller. The boat had little or no maneuverability. The lifeboat was then tied along a salvage tug and towed safely into Newlyn Harbour.
At Penlee Lifeboat Station divers cleared the fouled propeller. The lifeboat then launched again accompanied by the tug to the cargo vessel that had drifted a mile closer to the shore.
Finally the tug attempted to get a tow connected to the cargo vessel with the assistance of the lifeboat in spite of strong winds, gusting to 45 knots at times, rough seas with a four meter swell and heavy squally showers.
Source: Plymouth Herald
