Fishing boat captain shares gratitude to rescuers after 17 crew winched to safety
'Miscommunication' believed to be behind grounding of controversial vessel
The captain of a fishing vessel that ran aground near the Old Man of Hoy has thanked rescuers who airlifted all 17 people on board to safety.
Captain Alejandro Abuin Prado said he feared the Genesis might capsize after she struck rocks early this morning.
A multi-agency rescue operation was launched just after 6.30am following a mayday call from the Spanish-owned, UK-flagged vessel.
The 30-metre longliner had been heading to Scrabster with 28 tonnes of fish on board when she ran aground off the west coast of Hoy.
Captain Prado, who has been with Genesis for two years, said he was “very grateful” to the emergency services.
He thanked them for the rescue and the way they helped him and his 16-strong crew off the vessel.
There were no injuries and the crew, and after landing at Kirkwall Airport, were conveyed to a hotel in the town.
The operation involved the RNLI lifeboat from Stromness, HM Coastguard helicopters from Sumburgh and Stornoway, and the land-based Kirkwall and St Margaret’s Hope Coastguard Rescue Teams.
Two other local vessels also responded, along with a Royal Air Force maritime patrol aircraft.
Captain Prado told The Orcadian he believed a miscommunication on board had caused the grounding.
Asked what would happen to the vessel, he said: “I don’t know,” but hoped she could be made safe and moved from the rocks.
The coastguard vessel Ievoli Black is currently at the scene.
The Genesis has been a controversial presence in Shetland waters over recent years.
Although she is UK-registered, she is Spanish-owned and crewed.
The Genesis was reported for an attack on Shetland trawler Mizpah in June 2021 when she crossed the bow and came within three metres.
At the time, Mizpah’s skipper highlighted how foreign vessels were ganging up on the local fleet to close off vast areas of the seas for their own use.