SEACAT MAGIC

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Offshore ship involved in rescue of two fishermen

The "Seacat Magic" was the first ship on the scene after the sinking of the British f/v "Lainey - SH 16" on Nov 5, 2018, at 2.57 p.m. The sercice ship remained on standby until the Wells lifeboat had arrived. A Belgian Air Force helicopter crew initially had spotted two fishermen in the sea off the Norfolk coast and came to their rescue. The Agusta A-109 helicopter was underway from Leuven, about 30 km from Brussels, to Newcastle to take part in a global training exercise in the afternoon. After stopping to refuel at Norwich Airport, they were flying low over the Norfolk coast at about 500 meters when a crew member spotted a capsized ship with two men on its bottom about six miles from Wells. Ten minutes later the fishing boat sank. The helicopter crew was carrying a life raft and life jackets for the training exercise, which they were able to throw into the sea. The helicopter stayed in the area for about an hour and guided the RNLI to the exact location of the fishermen. As the helicopter was again low on fuel, it returned to Norwich airport, where the crew spent the night before setting off yesterday for Newcastle. The fishermen spent about 30 minutes in the freezing water. The pair had called the UK Coastguard for help using a mobile phone. They were rescued by the Wells-based lifeboat and winched to safety by the Coastguard helicopter 912 from Humberside at 3.06 p.m, before being taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. They could be sent home later that day. The "Lainey" had joined the fishing fleet in Wells only on March 16. Report with photos and video: https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/belgian-air-force-speaks-about-fishermen-rescue-off-wells-1-5767204