A rescue operation was mounted on Lough Derg this afternoon after the occupants of a private cruise boat reported they had a possible fire on board.
At around midday, the Irish Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to launch their lifeboat to assist a family of four on board a 28ft cruiser which was reported to be on fire. There were two adults and two young children on board the vessel at the time.
Watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry also tasked the Killaloe unit of the Coast Guard.
At 12.26pm the lifeboat located the casualty vessel just south of Lough Derg Navigation Mark E. By then, the family had transferred onto a 18ft fishing boat, which was in the area at the time and offered assistance. The occupants were found to be safe, unharmed and wearing their lifejackets.
The skipper of the casualty vessel informed the lifeboat crew that when he noticed smoke and an acrid smell coming from the engine housing he immediately shut down the engine and the smoke emission ceased. He was however unable to deploy the vessel’s anchor as it required the engine to be running to operate.
Once the engine had cooled, the RNLI helm permitted the skipper and an RNLI volunteer to board the casualty vessel. The skipper found that a piece of cloth had come into contact with the engine’s exhaust system, and identified this as the source of the smoke and smell. The cloth was removed, and the casualty vessel’s engine started immediately when tried.
The woman and the two infants were then transferred from the fishing vessel to the lifeboat. The lifeboat crew then prepared to accompany the casualty vessel to Dromineer Harbour with its skipper and an RNLI volunteer on board.
However, at 12.45pm, the engine on the casualty vessel failed. The RNLI helm requested that the mother and two infants be transferred from the RNLI lifeboat to the Coast Guard rescue boat and be taken to Dromineer.
Given the remote location and the inability to secure the cruiser, the helm made the decision to take the casualty vessel under tow to the closest safe harbour, in Dromineer. The casualty vessel was safely tied alongside in Dromineer Harbour at 1.44pm
Christine O’Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Derg RNLI, advises boat users “as we are now heading into the summer season, remember to have your vessel fully serviced before embarking on your journey. If you find yourself in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
