Trawler rescues two castaways in rough seas off Tromsø, Norway

A fishing vessel came to the aid of two people who had gone adrift at sea and were in danger of drowning off Tromsø, Norway, on Wednesday, April 8.

Brothers Kyrre and Runar-André Nilsen were on the trawler Skjongholm and were returning to Trøndelag on the afternoon (local time) of Wednesday after three weeks out at sea when they received a request to assist in the rescue of two other fishermen who had ended up in the water after their boat sank.

Upon sighting the distressed fishermen shortly before 19:30, Kyrre jumped into the water to save them while Runar-André remained at Skjongholm‘s helm. However, the worsening weather and sea conditions made it impractical to attempt to pull the castaways out of the water due to the risk that they might be swept away before they could be brought aboard the trawler.

Kyrre held one of the fishermen and the other was tied to the trawler with a rope to keep them both close while waiting for the arrival of a lifeboat from the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Redningsselskapet).

A Redningsselskapet lifeboat team reached the area around 40 minutes later and pulled the castaways out of the water. They have since been brought to hospital in Tromsø to be treated for hypothermia while Skjongholm resumed its return voyage to Trøndelag.