News / Fishing skipper breathalysed in Sullom Voe
THE POLISH skipper of an Irish fishing boat was breathalysed by police in Shetland after his vessel grounded inside the oil port of Sullom Voe on Tuesday afternoon.
The Galway-registered An Capall Ban, with three Polish and two Indonesian crew on board, floated free of the Point of Sella Ness on the rising tide and was towed to the jetty by the Shetland Islands Council tug Solan, while two other vessels stood by.
The white fish boat was boarded by the harbour master and a safety officer while the hull was examined and found to be undamaged.
Local police officers detained the skipper and breathalysed him, but found he had not been drinking and the vessel was allowed to leave the port.
Harbourmaster Roger Moore said the An Capall Ban had been on guard duty for a large vessel off Shetland and had come in to Sullom Voe for a crew change.
Meanwhile Shetland registered fishing boat Valhalla lost its catch after having to buoy out its nets following a fire in the engine room 30 miles east of Lerwick.
The three man crew discovered the turbo charger in the auxiliary engine that ran the hydraulics had caught fire and they put it out with a portable extinguisher before contacting Shetland coastguard to warn them about the floating net. The boat returned safely to port later in the afternoon.
Shetland coastguard also had to alert their Noness rescue team after a member of the public phoned in about two large tanks that had washed into the Peerie Geo of Sandwick.
The tanks contained carbon dioxide and the council is being contacted to dispose of them safely.
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