Boat sinks in Portsmouth mooring incident
A MAYDAY call scrambled emergency responders to the Portsmouth coastline earlier this week.
Crews were called to the mouth of Langstone Harbour after a boat collided with a moored vessel, causing serious damage and leaving the passengers in need of rescue.
The primary casualty vessel had collided with a mooring line attached to a catamaran.
Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) arrived along with one of the Harbour Master’s vessel, with the RNLI in support.
Although everyone was rescued and nobody needed medical assistance, one of the vessels sank before it could be brought ashore, according to the Portsmouth News.
Adam Houghton, owner of the moored Anglers Edge Charters, says the damage will set him back around £10,000.
“I was moored up and the boat cut across my mooring lines. That was what kept it afloat for so long,” the charter-skipper says.
“I was on my way down to the harbour when it happened – I didn’t realise how bad it was until I arrived. This sort of thing has happened before, it’s not uncommon, but it’s put me out of business until August at the earliest.”
According to the GAFIRS report, it quickly became apparent that the primary vessel was in immediate danger of sinking.
The report says that when GAFIRS arrived, a local Harbour Master was already on the scene. The casualties had been recovered.
A salvage pump was started and the task to isolate electronics and gas, and to locate the point of water ingress, continued.
But despite aggressive efforts, the task was impossible. With the vessel now rapidly sinking, an anchor was attached to the casualty vessel to prevent it from drifting in the strong currents, and it was also marked to warn other vessels of the danger.
Unfortunately, despite a rapid response from the local Harbour Master vessel and Gosport Lifeboat, with the support of the RNLI, these efforts were futile and it sunk shortly after.
The second vessel, the catamaran, was safely removed and taken to a nearby marina for damage inspection.
