Three men aboard a trawler fishing off Northern Ireland were rescued today during a major air and sea operation.
Lifeboats from Co Down and Isle of Man, as well as a Coast Guard helicopter from Dublin, were scrambled to the Crystal Starafter it began taking on water.
The crew issued a mayday alert at around 10.10am over fears the 10 metre
vessel was set to sink in the Irish Sea, because the onboard pump was unable to cope with the emergency.
A ferry from Warrenpoint, Clipper Point, stayed near the stricken prawn trawler while the Irish Coast Guard’s Sikorsky rescue helicopter dropped an extra pump onto the Kilkeel RNLI lifeboat as it made its way to the scene.
A lifeboat crew member joined the Kilkeel-based Crystal Starcrew to help pump out the water, and the vessel was escorted safely back to the Co Down harbour by 1pm.