Team Geared Up

UPDATE 15:17hrs:

“Come nightfall tonight the two fishermen will be missing for 24 hours and the sea temperature is six degrees so we have to be realistic, but for the moment we are continuing the search for survivors,” said Chris Reynolds, of the Irish Coastguard.

“Regrettably all the life rafts are accounted for, there is no other life saving apparatus out there that they could be clinging to.”

Mr Reynolds, who has spoken to the survivor, continued: “As we expected last night the vessel sank quite quickly and both Polish crewmen ended up in the water separated from the Irish skipper. The survivor was able to hold on to a life raft until rescue came to him about 50 minutes after the vessel sank.

“There were another two boats out at the same time, but not exactly in that area and indeed those boats assisted in the search when it became clear a mayday had been called.”

Naval vessel LE Ciara is currently co-ordinating the sea search, along with the Dunmore East and Kilmore Quay lifeboats and a number of fishing vessels. Coast Guard helicopters from Dublin, Shannon and Waterford have also been searching the area.

Original Post:
This morning RTE News report:

A search is continuing for the skipper and crewman of a fishing boat that went down off the south-east coast last night

The skipper, Glenn Cott from Ballycotton in Co Cork and Jan Sankowski, a 45-year-old Polish crew member, are missing after the 15m trawler, the Maggie B, went down five miles off the Hook Peninsula.

A third crew member, Kriston Pawtowski, also from Poland, was found clinging to a life-raft and suffering from severe hypothermia at midnight, about an hour after a distress signal was sent from the vessel.

Initial reports that he gave to lifeboat crews indicate that the trawler sank very quickly, possibly within 90 seconds of trouble first being spotted with water below deck.

An air and sea rescue operation has been focusing on an area around 8km off the Hook peninsula where the boat went down.

The Waterford Coastguard helicopter, a number of lifeboats and the LE Ciara are taking part in the search.