FRANCESCA PRIOR

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Asthma attack after ship went in trouble

On Apr 18, 2012, the skipper of the "Francisca Prior" was airlifted to hospital in gales force winds after suffering an asthma attack at sea. The "Francesca Prior" had got into trouble after losing power in rough seas six miles off the Clacton coast. Another ship owned by the same company, the Colchester-based JJ Priors, had tried to tow it to safety but the rope snapped. The "Francesca Prior" was unable to deploy its anchor and started drifting with a crew of two on board. The Walton's lifeboat began towing the vessel before a tug took over. But the "Francesca Prior"'s skipper then suffered an asthma attack. He was airlifted to Colchester General Hospital by the RAF rescue helicopter which was on a training exercise in the area at the time.

Fire in the Thames

In the afternoon of May 26, 2011, Gravesend RNLI lifeboat was called to the assistance of the "Francesca Prior", reported to be on fire off Higham whilst on passage to London with a cargo of sand. The vessel’s crew of two reported a fire in the accommodation area which caused the wheelhouse to fill with thick smoke. The incident coincided with a sudden deterioration in the weather with a very heavy squall passing down the river and winds gusting in the region of force 7 with heavy driving rain making visibility poor. The crew attempted to fight the fire with extinguishers and the onboard fire hose but were forced to seal off the accommodation because of the smoke, although they managed to keep the vessel underway. The RNL boat reached the casualty within five minutes and a crew member boarded the vessel in order to assess the situation. He assisted the crew in ventilating the wheelhouse and clearing the smoke so the vessel could be diverted to the PLA Marine Services Depot at Denton Wharf, where appliances from Kent Fire Service were waiting to assist. The lifeboat stood by the casualty until it was secured alongside in case the situation deteriorated further. Once alongside the fire was extinguished by the fire service and the vessel remained at Denton Wharf pending further investigation by the authorities. The fire seemed to have been caused by faulty lagging around the engine exhaust system and had set parts of the accommodation area alight. Report with photos: http://www.rnli.org.uk/who_we_are/press_centre/news_releases/news_release_detail?articleid=689444

FRANCESCA PRIOR

The Coastguard searched for a boat showing no lights after a near collision early Mar 7, 2011. The "Francesca Prior", carrying sand from Rowhedge, almost hit the m/b "Ondine" boat in the mouth of the River Colne. The crew on the cargo ship reported the near-miss as they were worried about the safety of those on the motor boat and thought the crew may have been drunk. Both Clacton lifeboats took part in the search at 2.43am. The Clacton Coastguard joined them when there was more light. The motor boat was eventually found moored in Alresford Creek at 9.15 a.m. with both crew members safe and well.