Six people rescued by Newhaven RNLI after fishing boat gets into difficulty

The vessel had six people on board.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “At 7.37am on Monday, November 30, HM Coastguard was alerted to a fishing vessel with six people on board taking on water approximately 17 miles off Newhaven.

“The Newhaven RNLI lifeboat was launched and assisted the vessel safely back to harbour at Newhaven.”

The Seven Sisters Newhaven-Dieppe ferry was also diverted to aid the fishing vessel along with two other fishing vessels in the area, Newhaven RNLI said.

Lewis Arnold, Newhaven’s coxswain, said: “Although the sea state was smooth to slight, with 12knots of wind from the west, the visibility was poor, due to thick fog. Our speed to the scene was critical.

“The casualty crew did the right thing in calling for our assistance. We were happy to escort them to a safe harbour berth where they will be able to fully survey the extent of the issue.”

Andy Bull, crew member, said: “Once on board I could see the ingenuity of the fishing vessel crew. Their primary pump was active, however, their second back-up pump was failing.

“This put an uncomfortable amount of pressure on the temporary fix they had rigged: a broom-handle with a rubber bung on the end of it, which they had wedged into the hole from where the vessel was taking on water.”