News / Crabber breaks moorings in hurricane
AN ENGLISH crabbing boat broke free of its moorings in hurricane force winds gusting to more than 100mph while berthed in Scalloway harbour, in Shetland, during the early hours of Friday.
A group of sea cadets from Scalloway’s NAFC Marine Centre raised the alarm around 2am when they saw the Teignmouth registered Amadeus (TY7) breaking onto the Blacksness pier.
The Lerwick coastguard rescue team joined local harbour staff to help the six crewmen re-secure the vessel at a more sheltered berth within one hour of the alarm.
Their task was made more difficult because the ropes on board Amadeus were not strong enough to hold the boat in such strong winds, and new ropes had to be found.
The rescue team, including the Aith lifeboat, which was on standby, were then stood down.
Shetland Islands Council harbour master Roger Moore praised the “quick and professional response” of his staff in Scalloway, the coastguard and the NAFC cadets, saying they had undoubtedly saved the boat from ending up on the rocks.
Amadeus is a 24 metre modern crabbing boat that used to come to Shetland on a regular basis from its base in Brixham, in Devon.
It is understood this was its first visit to the islands for around a decade, after it caused friction with local fishermen for catching crabs without a licence from the local shellfish management organisation.
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