GR Direct - Sony - Save up to £500
Sunday 27 July 2025
 15.4°C   W Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Fishing boat towed in

The fishing vessel Sea Hunter under tow by Lerwick harbour pilot boat Knab. Photo: Garry Sandison

THE LERWICK lifeboat, Lerwick harbour’s pilot boat Knab and the Sumburgh-based coastguard helicopter were called out on Thursday morning after a Norwegian fishing boat with 10 crew on board started taking on water, just north of Bressay.

Shetland Coastguard was alerted at 7.30am after the Sea Hunter had initially contacted Lerwick Harbour asking for assistance.

The lifeboat quickly got two crew on board the Sea Hunter to attach a towline, while the helicopter lowered pumps to help stem the ingress of water.

The 44 metre long fishing vessel was then taken to Lerwick’s Greenhead Base, where she was alongside at about 8.45am.

Crews from the Lerwick fire station have now started pumping the Sea Hunter dry.

Lerwick Port Authority harbourmaster Calum Grains said the decision to get the lifeboat involved was taken after the Sea Hunter informed them that the main water pump had stopped and the water level in the vessel’s engine room was rising.

“At that point we thought the quickest way to get a pump on board was to ask the coastguard to get the lifeboat to nip out with that.

“That worked well – we got a portable pump on board and the Sea Hunter was guided in by the pilot using our tugs here to Greenhead, where she was tied up alongside where we can get the machinery and different people down to check on the ship and get her pumped out.”

 

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories

Sign up
for our Newsletters

Stay in the loop with newsletters tailored to your interests. Whether you're looking for daily updates, weekly highlights, or updates on jobs or property, you can choose exactly what you want to receive.

Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.