VESTFJORD

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Latest news

Distressed fishing vessel towed to Farsund

The 'AG13G-Vestfjord' suffered water ingress and issued a emergency signal on Dec 7, 2024, at 2.30 p.m. in the Skagerrak halfway between Norway and Denmark. The water had accumulated on the factory deck, resulting in a heavy list to starboard. The water was shoulder-deep and a hatchway was opened to allow it to drain into the engine room. This corrected the list, but in wave heights of three to four metres, it was a gravely serious situation.Two rescue helicopters, a Norwegian SAR Queen helicopter from Sola and a Danish helicopter from Aalborg, were sent to the ship.. A Mayday Relay was also broadcast from Kystradio Sør to call for further assistance. At 3.20 p.,. both rescue helicopters arrived at the scene. The MRCC assessed the possibility of stabilizing the vessel using extra bilge pumps or evacuating the crew. The pumps made it possible to stabilise the amount of water on board. At 5 p.m. two of the crew members were evacuated by the Norwegian helicopter and brought ashore. The remaining two stayed on board . The lifeboat 'Erling Skjalgsson'' from Farsund and the tug 'Farnar Arion' (IMO: 9056789) were mobilized to assist. At 9.10 p.m. the tug was on scene. The original plan was to tow the disabled ship to Hirtshals, but considering the conditions, the decision was made to take the shorter distance to Farsund. The opening in the 'Vestfjord’s side was to be sealed, and the remaining water in the engine room and factory deck drained. The Maskinværksted sent personnel to the port who were expected on scene on the afternoon of Dec 9 in order to get the engine started again. Report with photo: https://www.nrk.no/sorlandet/fiskebat-i-nod-i-skagerrak-_-to-personer-evakuert-1.17159498

Klondyke disabled off Oseberg

The "Klondyke" was disabled by a net in its propeller off Oseberg on July 16, 2017. The Norwegian Coastguard was asked for assistance and deployed the patrol boat "Bergen". It managed to take the casualty in tow in severe seas and pulled it to the Selbjørns Fjord. Photos: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DE23E3hXcAACVKs.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DE23HiMXgAALBXA.jpg

Hunter repair nearing completition

The "Hunter VA 2S" which suffered water ingress at the dock in Flekkerøy, Søgne municipality, in the night of Sep 13, 2011, will be ready for fishing again in about six weeks. The Inspector of the Aalborg Survey Association just surveyed the work. The boat had not sunk completely as the stern quickly touched the bottom and stayed there. Firefighters had dewatered the hull, supported by the lifeboat "Ægir" which had com from Farsund and pushed the "Hunter" to the pier. The "Hunter" is actually under repair at Vestkajens Maskinværksted in Hirtshals. A new main engine is already in place, and two new generators are being installed. All electrical installations and the old engine and generators had to be removed. The submerged part of the hull was stripped, and the steel sandblasted, primed and painted. The ship is scheduled to be ready to sail on Dec 16. It was found out that the reason why the vessel sank was the final chapter of a series of random circumstances. In a rebuilding in 2002, while the ship still was sailing under the Danish flag, an extra steel keel was fitted to stabilize the vessel, which had got an additional deck fitted to the the superstructure. This meant that the vessel was more profound, and thus the valves were under the waterline. A bolt damaged the cooling water system, and a damper in the cooling water valve was not properly closed causing a seawater intrusion into the engine room. The repair is being financed by the insurance company Flekkeroy Båtassuranceforening Union, one of very few independent insurance companies in Norway. Norwegian report with photos: http://www.kystmagasinet.no/Sank-ved-kai--snart-i-fiske-igjen/