The UK's Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) despatched rescue boats and personnel to the Breakish area of the Isle of Skye in northwestern Scotland after a cargo ship ran aground in those same waters on the morning (local time) of Monday, March 10.
The volunteer crews from Kyle of Lochalsh and Portree RNLI were called out at 02:18 on Monday after the vessel dragged her anchor and ran aground.
HM Coastguard paged the crews after receiving a call from the cargo vessel in the early hours of the morning. The Kyle RNLI boat Spirit of Fred. Olsen launched at 02:25 and made best speed towards the scene through choppy weather.
The RNLI boat arrived on scene at 02:40 and found that the vessel was aground at the stern, and was being pushed ashore by the wind and choppy seas. The rescue boat crew made contact with the cargo vessel’s crew to check nobody was injured and began a visual inspection of the hull of the vessel to ensure there was no obvious damage or pollution.
The crew of the cargo vessel were trying various things to free themselves, so the RNLI boat stood by to provide safety cover, should they be needed.
Due to the size of the cargo vessel, the Portree RNLI boat had also been called and arrived approximately an hour after the Kyle boat.
With the rising tide, the vessel managed to use her own thrusters and engine to take herself off the rocks at 04:15, and made her way into deeper water to find a safe place to anchor. Both RNLI boats stood by to ensure that the vessel and crew were no longer in danger and there was no pollution risk.
At 05:25, HM Coastguard stood the Kyle boat down, but kept the Portree boat on scene to provide safety cover until a coastguard tug arrived. The Kyle boat then returned to station at 05:40 where the crew refuelled the boat and made it ready for service again.