Bunker Tanker Saved Off Scotland

The heavily listing tanker Erin Wood. Credit: RNLI/Peterhead

Volunteer crews from Britain’s Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) helped rescue a bunker tanker that was nearly capsized after a collision with a containership off Scotland.

The incident occurred Saturday afternoon when the tanker Erin Wood collided with a containership about four miles off Peterhead, located north of Aberdeen on the North Sea. 

Damage to the tanker was severe enough that when RNLI crews arrived on scene they found the vessel nearly capsized, taking on water through the wheelhouse, disabling all power and engines. The ship’s two crewmembers remained onboard but launched the boat’s liferaft in case they had to abondon ship.

A number of volunteer crew from two RNLI lifeboats were transferred to the tanker with a salvage pump and assisted the two crew in pumping out the engine room and cabin to prevent capsize. After a several of hours of pumping, the tanker was stable enough to be tow to Peterhead harbour by the trawler Ocean Endeavor. Once there the Erin Wood was berthed on the south breakwater and the lifeboat crews were stood down at 11:45 p.m., the RNLI reports.

The sea conditions were 1–2 meter swells and wind was 11-16 knots SSW, RNLI says.

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