Quick-acting Mowi boats in dramatic sea rescue near Tobermory.
Work boats belonging to salmon producing giant Mowi played a pivotal role in a dramatic rescue operation, after a diving vessel ran aground carrying 14 people at the entrance to Loch Sunart, north-east of Tobermory, on Monday, September 4.
This incident had occurred 2.7 nautical miles north-east of Tobermory, during a rapidly falling tide, according to The Oban Times.
The vessel, stranded on the rocks of Sligneach Mòr, prompted a midday call-to-action by the UK Coastguard. Tobermory’s RNLI crew responded swiftly, but it was the fish farm boats from nearby Mowi sites that were first to the scene of the boat in distress.
It was decided to take all of the non-essential persons off the boat, with the help of one of the Mowi work boats that then transferred 11 divers on to the Tobermory lifeboat.
The Mowi boat then returned and helped the dive boat crew to set the anchor.
The vessel was secured and the three remaining people aboard were evacuated from the grounded vessel.
The lifeboat relaunched at 6pm with four people from the dive boat onboard, before beginning to prepare her for refloating.
The two Mowi boats also returned to assist the dive boat in securing lines and positioning themselves to minimise any rolling motion as the vessel started to refloat.
Once the boat was refloated and checked over for damage, she was able to make her way back to Tobermory under her own power and under the lifeboat’s escort.
