Sunken creel boat metres from gas pipeline

THE UK Coastguard has set up an exclusion zone around a Shetland creel boat that sank last month and ended up within metres of a gas pipeline on the seabed.

The 16 metre long Majestic sank on 21 January north west of the island of Yell, with both its crewmen rescued from a liferaft after issuing a Mayday.

It emerged on Friday that the coastguard immediately set up a 500 metre exclusion zone around the vessel.

Pictures taken by an underwater vehicle by subsea engineering firm Oceaneering revealed the vessel lying beside BP’s Magnus EOR gas pipeline, which takes gas from west of Shetland to the North Sea’s Magnus field to help extract more oil.

Sandbags have been placed around the vessel and between the boat and the pipeline for added safety.

A coastguard spokeswoman said the vessel had been surveyed and there was no immediate cause for concern.

“We are liaising closely with BP, the vessel’s insurers, Marine Scotland and the Department of Energy and Climate Change to ensure the continued safety of the pipeline,” she said.

“The Secretary of State’s Representative Maritime Salvage and Intervention, Hugh Shaw is closely monitoring operations.”

BP also issued a statement saying there was no evidence of damage to the pipeline.

“We have worked with the relevant authorities to stabilise the boat on the sea bed and further protect the pipeline as a precautionary measure,” the statement said.