Twelve fishermen have been rescued off the Cork coast after their Spanish-owned trawler began taking in water early this morning.
The rescue operation, which was co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre on Valentia, began just before 6am following a Mayday call from the trawler, Radoche Tercero.
The French-registered but Spanish-owned 34-metre trawler, which fishes out of Bayonne in southwest France, reported it was taking in water and the crew were abandoning ship.
The 12-man crew took to a life raft 53 nautical miles (98km) southwest of Dursey Head on the Beara Peninsula in west Cork and the Irish Coast Guard quickly alerted other shipping in the area.
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The Irish Coast Guard also tasked its Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter R115 and its Coast Guard Fixed wing 120F Beechcraft B200 King Air plane.
It also dispatched a Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat, the Annette Hutton lifeboat, a Baltimore RNLI lifeboat and the Alan Massey lifeboat.
Another French-registered, Spanish-owned trawler, the 36-metre Punteareas Uno, which also fishes out of Bayonne, picked up the crew of the Radoche Tercero from the life raft.
The Punteareas Uno is currently proceeding to Castletownbere with the 12 Radoche Tercero crew, who are all reported safe, well and not in need of medical attention.
The trawler is being escorted to the west Cork fishing port by the Annette Hutton lifeboat and is expected to arrive into Dinish Island in Castletownbere at 3.30pm.
The Puntereas Uno was last week released from detention after being stopped by the European Fisheries Control Agency’s patrol vessel, Ocean Guardian, in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone.
The trawler had been inspected by an Sea Fisheries Protection Officer and detained for alleged offence of failing to retain quota fish species in contravention of Landing Obligation rules.
The master of the Puntereas Uno was brought before Bandon District Court and charged with the offence before he was released with the case due to be heard later at Cork Circuit Court.
According to the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Coordination Centre at Valentia, the Radoche Tercero remains afloat and drifting off some distance off Dursey Head.
