Boat and crew rescued from ‘dangerous situation’ after breaking down in rough seas near Roker Pier

Crew members have been rescued after a pleasure boat broke down and became trapped in rough seas near Roker Pier.
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A 26-foot pleasure boat broke down near Sunderland’s Roker Pier and was ‘ranging up and down’ against the pier walls in rough sea condition on Saturday, December 19.

The coastguard said one crewman had disembarked onto the pier deck via a set of steps but was struggling to hold onto the disabled craft with a mooring line when rescue teams were called to the incident at 4.45pm.

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One person remained onboard the boat when teams arrived at the scene scene to be met by, what the coastguard called, a ‘dangerous situation’.

Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team and Sunderland RNLI were called to the incident at Roker Pier on SaturdaySunderland Coastguard Rescue Team and Sunderland RNLI were called to the incident at Roker Pier on Saturday
Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team and Sunderland RNLI were called to the incident at Roker Pier on Saturday

A spokesman for Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team, who were supported by Sunderland RNLI and the Atantic 85 lifeboat at the incident, said: “Coastguards immediately took over handling the line until the lifeboat was able to establish a tow line and pull the pleasure boat away from the pier in a challenging operation.

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"It was then towed to Sunderland Marina.”

Pictures released by Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team show the boat being towed to safety in the marina.

The boat was towed to safety,The boat was towed to safety,
The boat was towed to safety,

In a post on its Facebook page, the coastguard team also urged boat owners to take necessary safety precautions.

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"This incident has again highlighted a number of issues, which are of relevance to all boat owners,” the spokesman added.

"These include notifying Humber Coastguard of voyages, especially in poor weather/sea conditions, maintaining radio communication on Marine VHF Channel 16, ensuring vessels are seaworthy and properly equipped before setting off and, very importantly, ensuring all on board wear certified life jackets or buoyancy aids.”

It was the second time teams were called out on Saturday after a coastguard crew was tasked to a report of what transpired to be an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) in the River Wear at Southwick.

The spokesman added: “This was located on the foreshore near the lime kilns and to alleviate a potential hazard to navigation or concerns regarding pollution, it was recovered to Southwick Promenade.

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"It was established that the container was empty and is now awaiting removal by the local authority.”

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