The 11 crew members of the Galician fishing vessel Piedras, a vessel 36 meters (long) built in 1976, were rescued this Wednesday in the Gran Sol off the coast of Ireland after the vessel suffered a very serious accident, according to Salvamento Marítimo . The vessel, which flies a British flag but is owned by Galician shipowners – moored in the port of Marín (Pontevedra) – was fishing 64 nautical miles (118 km) south-west of Cape Mizen, in the far south-west of Ireland. The fishing vessel Armaven Uno, also flying the British flag, rescued the crew, seven of whom are Spaniards, according to Faro de Vigo. The entire crew is safe. According to Salvamento Marítimo, the ship sank in the early afternoon despite efforts to keep it afloat.
MRSC Valentia (IRL) confirms that the Pesquero Piedras has finally sunk. You recovered the beacon. The crew will be transferred in good condition to Castletownbere by the fishing vessel Armaven, where they will arrive at 22:00 Spanish time.
— SEA RESCUE (@salvamentogob) June 1, 2022
Salvamento Marítimo reported this afternoon that after its 11 crew members were rescued, the fishing boat drifted to port with fire on board and a severe list. Irish air and sea assets with a mobilized unit with two bilge pumps had moved onto the ship. Among the 11 crew members are Spaniards, mostly Galicians, Moroccans and Ghanaians.
The Xunta and the government remain in contact with the shipping company. In statements to Europa Press, the government delegate, José Miñones, has confirmed that all seafarers are fine and pointed to a leak as the cause of the incident. Miñones has also announced that the central executive has made itself available to the shipowner Nia Ltd of the Noray Pesca Group, based in Marín (Pontevedra).
The President of the Cooperative of Fishing Shipowners of the Port of Vigo (ARVI), Javier Touza, commented that the rescue operation went quickly and that the physical condition of the crew is “good, albeit with the nervousness of the circumstances”. The shipowner is linked to ARVI, as is the Armaven Uno, which rescued the crew, although both ships are British flagged. The Piedras had her usual unloading point in the port of Vigo. Hours before the waterway opened, he had unloaded the entire catch at Castletown, south of the Isle of Man, and sailed to Galicia.
The crew of 11 have abandoned ship and are safely aboard another FV. The accident ship is on fire. R115 and Air Corps House on site. Valentia CG coordinates #IRCG
— Irish Coastguard (@IrishCoastGuard) June 1, 2022
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The UK Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center Falmouth and Irish Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center Valentia are coordinating and rescue services are conducting the operation in the southern part of the fishing area. Gran Sol is a fishery in the north of the Atlantic Ocean, between the west and south of Ireland, where hake, megrim and monkfish (the name comes from the French and English sole) are fished. The Spanish fleet operating in this area, which is particularly dangerous due to its harsh conditions and which has seen some of the worst shipwrecks in Spanish naval history, is largely Galician.
The problem of the fishing boat Piedras comes three and a half months after the Galician ship Villa de Pitanxo sank in the waters of Newfoundland (Canada) with 24 crew members on board, of whom only three survived: the ship’s captain, his nephew and a sailor. It was one of the heaviest shipwrecks in the Spanish fleet in recent decades.