Four Youths Rescued From Vessel

Thursday, October 01, 2009
Posted 21:02 GMT

Liverpool Coastguard have been co-ordinating this afternoon the rescue of four people from a small vessel Valerie which contacted the prime marine emergency service at 4.20 this afternoon.

The small 12 foot petrol engine fishing vessel with four youths on board were at the mouth of Whitehaven harbour in Cumbria when they contacted the Coastguard to say the seas were too rough and they were running out of petrol and needed urgent assistance.

The St Bees and Workington RNLI inshore lifeboats were requested to launch and the Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team were also turned out along with the Cumbria Coastguard Sector Manager.

A stand by vessel, the Sentinel which was near the Sellafield site at the time also responded to the radio traffic.

By the time the Coastguard Rescue Team arrived on scene the vessel had been beached south of Whitehaven and the four youths on board were rescued from the craft and the water by the Team.

They were then subsequently checked over by an ambulance crew for signs of hypothermia.

Paul Parkes, Liverpool Coastguard Watch Manager said

We are in no doubt that these ill equipped four youths on board the vessel were in grave and imminent danger and had the situation been allowed to deteriorate, may have lost their lives. The seas were rough in the area and our Coastguard Team took prompt action to get them to safety. The occupants were not wearing any lifejackets nor had any other means of lifesaving. The inshore lifeboat then took the vessel off the rocks and back into Whitehaven as we believe the occupants would have returned later to retrieve it.

For further details contact:
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Press Office
023 8032 9401