Five fishermen were rescued by an 'Irish Coast Guard helicopter off the Mayo coast yesterday when their vessel caught fire. In a separate incident, a passenger vessel with 10 people on board was taken in tow off the Donegal coast after engine failure.
None of the passengers was harmed.
The fishermen were on board the Irish-registered 23-metre twin-rig pair trawler, Eternal Dawn, when the fire was reported in the engine room off the north Mayo coast.
The alert was raised by the vessel shortly before 10am, and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter based in Sligo and the Ballyglass RNLI lifeboat were brought in by Malin Coast Guard. An Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft was also in the area.
Sea conditions were good, with a light southerly breeze, and the vessel's gear was still in the water. The crew were winched to safety by the helicopter under the command of Capt Ciarán Ferguson and flown to Sligo, but no medical treatment was required.
"They were fairly shocked, but they did manage to contain the fire to the engine room," Capt Ferguson said. "However, another vessel in the area reported that there were several small explosions on board after they had left."
The owners, Fintra Trawlers Ltd of Killybegs, Co Donegal, arranged for a sister vessel to take the hull in tow.
Shortly after landing, the Sligo helicopter was called out again when a passenger vessel with 10 people on board was reported to have lost engine power close to Slieve League in Donegal Bay.
However, the Nuala Starwas escorted by another craft into Teelin harbour in Co Donegal.
Meanwhile, a joint fire and emergency rescue station opened on Rathlin island off the northeast coast yesterday - the first of its kind in Britain or Ireland.
The purpose-built station will be run by 12 volunteer firefighters and a volunteer coastguard rescue team, and replaces a stone-built garage.
Eighty people live on Rathlin and chief coastguard Peter Dymond of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the station would ensure the "best possible rescue service" for the population.
"Due to its geographical location off the north coast, Rathlin has its own special requirements in terms of emergency cover," he said. The partnership would ensure the island could provide and be provided with an "integrated emergency response".
