THE British coastguard has called off the air and sea search for five Russian seamen who have been missing since their cargo ship sank in gale force winds in the Irish Sea two days ago.
Routine shore searches will still continue, but Holyhead coastguard said last night it believed there was little chance that the five men were still alive.
Two of the eight crew were rescued alive hours after the ship sank, and one body was recovered in the joint rescue operation involving British and Irish agencies.
Five of the eight on board the MV Swanlandwere on deck, while three, including the captain, engineer and first mate, were below when the ship's back was broken in heavy seas in the early hours of Sunday some 20 nautical miles south of Holyhead.
It is believed to be lying in 80 metres of water, and has some 30 tonnes of gas oil and 1,770 litres of lubrication oil in its fuel tanks, with a cargo of limestone. The area is being monitored for possible pollution risk. Sea conditions freshened yesterday with force six to eight winds.
Holyhead Coastguard watch manager Ray Carson has paid tribute to the co-operation with Irish counterparts in the extensive search, involving Irish Coast Guard helicopters, the Air Corps and Naval Service.
The two survivors rescued from a liferaft by an RAF Valley helicopter crew – which included Britain’s Prince William – were named yesterday as Roman Savin and Vitaliy Karpenko. The body of crew member, Leonid Sapunov, was found later on Sunday morning by the Irish Coast Guard’s Waterford-based Sikorsky helicopter. One of the survivors said the ship, which was heading to the Isle of Wight, was struggling in gale force winds when it was rolled over by a wave and its hull snapped.
Just 24 hours before, Taoiseach Enda Kenny had been on board the Naval Service patrol ship LE Roisínin similar gale-force conditions from Cork to Dublin.
The MV Swanlandcrew members were wearing immersion suits, increasing their survival prospects, and one empty liferaft was found near Bardsey Island off the Welsh Lleyn peninsula. A large amount of debris was also found by RNLI lifeboats.
The Irish rescue units worked with RAF Valley and Chivenor search and rescue helicopters and RNLI lifeboats from Pwllheli, Porthdinllaen and Holyhead, along with other vessels.
Yesterday’s search involved 11 British coastguard resource craft, a North Wales police helicopter and RAF aircraft. It focused on a coastal area stretching about 105 miles from Holyhead to Aberdovey.
The MV Swanland,built in the Netherlands in 1977, is owned by a Grimsby company. In August 2010, the same ship was towed into Falmouth by the RNLI after its engines failed and it nearly ran aground off the Lizard peninsula on England's south-west coast.