Longhope Lifeboat called to assist with grounded cargo ship

Longhope Lifeboat has now been launched to assist with an incident involving a cargo ship which ran aground on the Pentland Skerries in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday.

According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the crew from Longhope have been called out to relieve crew from RNLI Thurso, who have now been at the scene for several hours.

The Priscilla, an 89m cargo ship was first reported to have ran aground just after 3.30am today, approximately 5nm north east of Duncansby Head.

Thurso All Weather Lifeboat and a tug vessel have been making preparations to refloat the vessel. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) emergency tow vessel is also reported to be heading to the aid of the vessel and is expected to arrive around 6pm.

According to the coastguard, the cargo ship ‘Priscilla’ — with six people onboard — has reported no significant damage and there is no sign of any pollution at the scene.

Kaimes Beasley, Duty Controller for HM Coastguard said: “At this stage the vessel is stable and the crew on board are safe and well and there is no risk to life. This incident is ongoing and we will provide further updates as the situation develops.”