Emergency tug returns to Orkney

February 19, 2015 at 3:08 pm

The emergency towing vessel Herakles pictured at Hatston Pier this afternoon. (Picture: Craig Taylor) — The emergency towing vessel Herakles pictured at Hatston Pier this afternoon. (Craig Taylor)

The Orkney based Coastguard tug, which yesterday headed for the west coast of Scotland, towards a cargo ship which went aground north of the Isle of Mull, has returned to Hatston Pier today.

Stornoway Coastguard was contacted yesterday morning by the general cargo vessel Lysblink Seaways which was on a voyage from Belfast to Skogn in Norway when it ran aground.

The crew reported that the ship had gone aground near Kilchoan, at approximately 1.50am. The vessel has nine people on board, and the Tobermory RNLI lifeboat stood by the vessel overnight.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) tasked the emergency towing vessel Herakles, which left Hatston Pier yesterday morning, however the tug was stood down just after 3am this morning, when the salvage support vessel Kingdom of Fife was on scene.

That vessel, along with another Briggs Marine vessel, Forth Jouster are now both close by the ship.

An absorbent boom has been put in place to cope with an oil leak from the starboard side of the grounded Lysblink Seaways.

A team from Svitzer Salvage is currently on board the vessel conducting a detailed damage assessment.