ATTEMPTS to refloat a Bahaman-registered cargo ship from the rocks at Roche's Point on the eastern approach to Cork Harbour failed yesterday and there `was concern that if the ship broke up, severe pollution damage to the coast could occur.
The 1,400-tonne Tomfield, with a British captain and crew of five, contains an unknown quantity of heavy diesel fuel, and is thought to be holed under the water line. Yesterday evening, tugs were unable to get a line on board at high tide because of heavy seas and south-westerly gales.
The Tomfield, which is British-owned, was on passage from Wicklow to the Tivoli docks in the inner Cork Harbour, when it grounded as it entered the mouth of the outer harbour at Roche's Point during severe weather.
The six-strong crew was airlifted to safety by a Sikorski helicopter from the Marine Rescue Service at Shannon. The Ballycotton lifeboat was also on standby after a May Day message was relayed at 2 a.m. yesterday morning.
According to port authorities in Cork, the Tomfield is stuck fast on the rocks under the unmanned Roche's Point lighthouse, and while there is no immediate danger of pollution from the vessel, which was travelling light, there is a danger of bunker fuel escaping if it is pulled off the rocks today.
In the past, particularly during the January and February gales, there has been a series of pollution incidents along the south coast involving ships during which bird and marine life were badly affected.
As the rescue services stood by yesterday, the 200-foot-long vessel was wedged firmly on the Calf Rocks, beneath the lighthouse, and there was a strong smell of fumes despite the heavy gales.
The Tomfield is owned by the UK-based Field Shipping Company, whose representatives travelled to Cork yesterday to assess the situation. None of the crew members was injured in the incident. Last night, the men stayed at a hotel in Cobh.
Another cargo vessel almost foundered on the Calf Rocks over a year ago, before Roche's Point Lighthouse went automatic, but lighthouse personnel, using beacons, were able to warn it off.
The Cork-based salvage company Celtic Sea Divers, together with local tugs, will again attempt to refloat the vessel today and bring it to the inner harbour for emergency repairs.