Thurso lifeboat aids cargo ship in gale-force conditions
THURSO lifeboat crew was called out on Sunday morning in gale-force conditions to go to the aid of a cargo vessel which had lost power to the west of the Pentland Firth and began drifting towards the north coast of Caithness.
The RNLI lifeboat, The Taylors, launched at the request of Aberdeen coastguard at 4.20am in very poor weather conditions after the cargo vessel, Norholm, suffered engine problems four to five miles north west of Ushat Head.
The 94-metre cargo vessel with seven people on board managed to regain 20 per cent power just after the lifeboat’s launch so set a course for Scrabster harbour while the lifeboat continued on its way towards the casualty in gale-force nine to storm-force 10 north-westerly winds, heavy rain and a five-metre swell.
Having endured terrible weather and sea conditions, both vessels arrived in Thurso Bay around 6am where they still had to contend with a very heavy swell.
Nearly an hour later the cargo vessel managed to make it safely alongside the pier at Scrabster.
