Northern Ireland: Fire on fishing vessel causes crew to abandon vessel

JUST after half past midnight, Belfast Coastguard received a routine VHF call from the skipper of the fishing vessel ‘Noroyna’ after the crew had detected a fire on board. The fishing vessel from Kilkeel, Northern Ireland, was in the early hours of this morning on fire 22 miles North East of Howth Head. The crew of four could not contain the fire so they decided to launch their liferaft and abandon the stricken vessel. Belfast Coastguard requested that Dublin Rescue Helicopter ‘R116’ be tasked immediately to the scene and standby to evacuate the crew if necessary.