VIDEO: Fuelling Tanker Prevented from Sinking off UK Coast

A 24-metre fuelling vessel Erin Wood collided with a 4,155 dwt Cyprus-registered cargo vessel Daroja on Saturday evening, August 29, some two miles off Peterhead, the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency informed.

At 5.10pm Aberdeen Coastguard received a Mayday call from the Erin Wood with two crew on board, which had taken on water following the collision.

After a call to Aberdeen Coastguard, the RNLI Peterhead Tamar lifeboat The Misses Robertson of Kintail was requested to assist and was sent to the scene.

“On arrival at the scene it was found that the tanker Erin Wood had almost capsized, and had taken a large ingress of water through the wheelhouse, disabling all power and engines, which resulted in a severe list. The two crew of the tanker had launched the boat liferaft, in case they had to abandon ship,” RNLI informed.

Erin Wood 3

A number of volunteer lifeboat crew were transferred to the tanker with a salvage pump from the lifeboat to assist the two crew of the boat to pump out the engine room and the cabin of the tanker in order to prevent capsize.

The pumping operation took a number of hours to stabilize the tanker prior to it being taken in tow by the Peterhead trawler Ocean Endeavour which towed it to the harbour of refuge at Peterhead.

After the tanker reached the harbour of refuge it was taken in tow by two Peterhead harbour vessels and safely berthed on the south breakwater.

There were no reports of injuries to the vessel’s crew.

“The Maritime and Coastguard Agency will be attending both vessels and an investigation is underway,” MCA said.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch, MAIB has also been informed.