A guard vessel at the Corrib gas field played a key role in saving a Spanish fishing vessel which got into difficulty off the west coast yesterday.
Spanish trawler Curana III, with 11 crew, issued an alert after 3pm about 65km west of Erris Head, Co Mayo. Malin Coast Guard said the alert was picked up by the Far Scotia, a guard vessel on full-time duty some 80km off the Mayo coast.
The trawler’s crew had no English, but one of the Far Scotia crew has fluent Spanish and communicated by radio and then contacted Malin Coast Guard.
The Sligo-based Coast Guard helicopter was tasked by Malin, along with the RNLI Ballyglass lifeboat and a mayday alert was issued to all vessels in the area.
