By Canadian Press

All crew members of Atlantic Destiny scallop trawler safe after fire at sea: company

Mar 3, 2021 | 9:00 AM

HALIFAX — The owner of a scallop trawler that caught fire at sea south of Yarmouth, N.S., Tuesday night says all crew members are safely off the boat.

Ocean Choice International expressed gratitude Wednesday in a news release reporting the FV Atlantic Destiny’s crew members had all been removed from the vessel.

There were conflicting reports about whether there 31 or 32 people on board at the time of the fire.

Lt.-Cmdr. Brian Owens of the search and rescue co-ordination centre in Halifax said 27 crew members were taken to Yarmouth, N.S., by helicopter during the night, where they received medical attention, food and accommodations.

The remaining crew members, as well as two search and rescue technicians, were transferred at about 8 a.m. from the fishing vessel to the Canadian Coast Guard ship Cape Roger, he added.

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Owens said the Cape Roger will keep watch over the Atlantic Destiny until a decision is made on what to do with the vessel, adding that the last crew members to leave the trawler will be brought ashore.

On Tuesday night, the rescue co-ordination centre said it had received a call from the ship at around 8 p.m. reporting there was a fire on board, it had lost power and it was taking on water as it drifted in eight-metre waves and 100 km/h winds.

The U.S. Coast Guard took part in the rescue effort, sending two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Cape Cod that picked up a total of 21 of the people and transported them to Yarmouth.

Petty Officer Second Class Amanda Wyrick, a public affairs officer, said one of the U.S. helicopters rescued 13 people from the trawler and the other eight. “It’s definitely large scale as far as hoisting efforts go,” she said in an interview Wednesday.

A Canadian Forces CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter also extracted fishers from the boat, according to the rescue centre. Ocean Choice said other offshore fishing vessels, including the Cape LaHave, Maude Adams and the Atlantic Protector, took part in the rescue effort.

“The collective efforts of our crew and all those who came to assist the crew and the vessel resulted in the best possible outcome for this situation,” Blaine Sullivan, the president of Ocean Choice, said in a statement. “We are sincerely thankful to everyone that helped ensure that every single crew member is safe and accounted for.”

Ocean Choice said an investigation into what caused the fire will begin in the coming days and the extent of the damage is not yet known, but no injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The company says the Atlantic Destiny is one of six of its offshore fishing vessels and harvests and freezes sea scallops. Its home port is Riverport, N.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2021.

The Canadian Press

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