HIRTA

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Engineer inhaled chlorine

An engineer has been taken to hospital after inhaling chlorine on the "Hirta" Emergency services were called to the vessel docked near Ocean Terminal in Leith, after the man in his mid-30s inhaled a mixture of chemicals on June 28, 2013, in the afternoon. Ambulance crews, police, firefighters and coastguard workers were sent to the scene. The man was helped from the ship by fire crews and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after he inhaled the chlorine in the engine room while he was mixing chemicals to clean sewage pipes. The ship’s crew was investigating how a cap on a chemical drum was removed, causing substances to leak. Cordons were placed around the area as to allow an investigation and a clean-up to take place. Emergency service workers wore bio-hazard suits as they dealt with the situation over a two-hour period After 5 p.m., the incident was handed over to the ship’s captain. In total, 24 firefighters, three pumping appliances and three special appliances were sent to the scene. A vehicle specially designed for chemical spills also attended. Report with photo: http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/man-hospitalised-after-chlorine-leak-on-leith-ship-1-2983065

60 whales return to Loch Carnan - Hirta to shadow them

A pod of whales thought to have moved away from a sea loch where they risked becoming beached has now returned to the spot. Marine experts earlier believed the 60 whales had moved from the shallow waters of Loch Carnan, South Uist, and were trying to swim south. But the charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) later said the mammals had retraced their route back into the loch. Rescuers also revealed that one of the whales may now have died, following the apparent sighting of a body in the water. The creatures were first spotted around Loch Carnan, in the Western Isles, on Thursday, sparking fears they would die in a mass stranding. The Scottish Government had offered the use of fisheries protection vessel Hirta to shadow the animals' movements.