Crew rescued in N.L. waters from southwest N.S. fishing boat, vessel being scrapped

The crew of the FV High Roller III was safely rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard on Oct. 17 after the fishing vessel began taking on water near English Harbour, N.L.

As for the fishing vessel itself, it will be scrapped.

The initial call for help for the crew was received at 1:36 a.m. on Oct. 17.

“The CCGS Sacred Bay was tasked out of Old Perlican to respond. The CCGS Sacred Bay had the High Roller III under tow when the crew could no longer keep up with the water ingress and abandoned into their life raft,” said Craig Macartney, communications advisor for National Defence.

While all five crew members were retrieved by the CCGS Sacred Bay and transported safely to shore, the tow line to the FV High Roller III had to be dropped due to worsening weather conditions. The abandoned vessel later ran aground on the breakwater near Bay de Verde.

Built in 2007, the 17-metre (55-foot) High Roller III is owned by Ocean Ridge Fisheries Ltd. in Digby, according to the Canadian fishing vessel registry. Yarmouth was listed as its registered port.

According to social media, at the time of the grounding, the High Roller III was carrying about 5,400 kilograms (11,900 pounds) of cod.

On Oct. 20, days after the vessel had grounded, a vessel owner through contracted resources successfully towed the High Roller III from its grounded position bringing it to a wharf in Bay de Verde, said Macartney. This had been the second attempt at a tow.

Environmental concerns were a factor throughout.

“Following the search and rescue operations conducted on Oct. 17, we established an incident command post in Bay de Verde to oversee marine environmental and hazards response activities and make certain reasonable and appropriate measures were taken to address potential pollution risks,” Macartney said.

The vessel was surrounded by a containment boom and absorbent materials, as a precaution to contain any hydrocarbons that may be released, said Macartney.

“Prior to the vessel’s relocation, contractors removed accessible fuel and oil products from onboard tanks and deployed absorbent materials within the engine room to recover residual hydrocarbons. These actions were taken to reduce the overall pollution risk associated with the vessel,” Macartney said.

As things unfolded, the Canadian Coast Guard continued to oversee the response to the fishing vessel High Roller III in Bay de Verde and continued to work closely with the vessel owner and other response partners to provide federal oversight and help make sure the owner implements a reasonable and appropriate plan, said Macartney.

“This includes safely removing any remaining hydrocarbons and eventually removing the vessel from the marine environment, while prioritizing the safety of personnel and the protection of the marine environment,” Macartney had said as things continued to unfolded.

“Some light non-recoverable sheening was observed in the vicinity of the vessel during dewatering efforts, this sheening was believed to be related to deck runoff from the vessel, and no further sheening (was) observed. The Canadian Coast Guard is monitoring the situation to make certain that appropriate pollution prevention and response measures remain in place.”

Given the damage the vessel sustained throughout this prolonged incident, it was determined it would have to be scrapped. Heavy machinery was brought on-site Oct. 26 as preparations for the scrapping got underway.