MSC Flaminia now heading toward the English Channel

In the afternoon of Sep 2 the "MSC Flaminia" started its transit to Germany. The German Lloyd had confirmed that the ship was stable. The samples taken in the cargo holds were still being analysed. Four containers which were in danger of falling over board were equipped with GPS transmitters. The ship will be pulled to an anchorage 20 kilometers off Heligoland, and reach the Jade-Weser Port in Wilhelmshaven during the next week, if everything is going well.

Details from the original incident back in July of this year

"At 0909 hrs UTC on 14 July 2012 MRCC Falmouth was advised that the 75,590 GT German Flag container ship MSC FLAMINIA had suffered a fire and explosion in position 48 13.0N: 027 46W. The German owned vessel, was on passage from Charleston, USA to Antwerp, Belgium and was laden with a cargo of 2876 containers (4808 TEU equiv) – 149 being classed as Dangerous Goods (DGs). The MSC FLAMINIA suffered considerable damage however a team of international independent experts inspected the vessel on 28 August 2012 and consider that her residual strength is still sound and sufficient for her to remain intact for onward towage to a place of refuge."

London calling - Angler Restaurant opens today

Perched at the top of South Place Hotel, Angler restaurant combines an elegant dining room with a simple yet sophisticated menu that’s inspired by the fish and crustaceans from our native seas and rivers. Open for lunch and dinner every day, the main restaurant seats 80 people with an additional 10 in the Chef’s View, our semi-private dining room, and up to 36 outside on Angler Terrace.

Head chef Tony Fleming cooks with confidence and flair, using local ingredients from sustainable sources.

Chances are that cream of Newlyn's freshest fish will find their way to grace the plates of those enjoying such stunning views over London's blooming East End.

Big tides bring bass - hopefully!

High water - and after shooting the net as close to the beach as possible the boat heads back along then length of the net to help scare the fish into its path...

then it's time to pick up the first end shot...

and within seconds the first fish comes aboard...

then things slacken off as the end of the net is in sight...

bass from the punts working around the Runnelstone Buoy are already on the Monday morning market floor...

and the fridge is chocker with mackerel for a change...

there are good signs that the September squid are putting in an appearance...

the results of last night's work for the Lyonesse, several hundred stone of grey mullet...

almost a flat calm gives a cracking start to Autumn in West Cornwall...

solar power St Ives style...

another shot for the bass boys...

but it's slim picking this time round...

so it's time to head off to try elsewhere along the coast before the tide ebbs away...

the beach at Newlyn Green, 7am - and good to see the far west of Cornwall still enjoys an atmosphere of peace and love.

Squid moves

 

At well over 30cm in length, the first three squid of the season for Falmouth based AmandaJ caught on Wednesday night last week- all to Yo-Zuri luminescent jigs - jig caught squid are top quality sought after by the best restaurants and sushi bars.

James Dyson award for escape rings in trawls

SafetyNet - Escape Rings

Function

The goal of the SafetyNet system is to make commercial fishing more sustainable by significantly decreasing the numbers of non-target and juvenile fish caught during the trawling process. Escape Ring devices form a part of this system, and are currently the focus of the development work. The rings tackle the problem of holes in a net closing up during trawling when under tension. Many small fish are unable to escape, or are severely injured in the process. Escape Rings hold the meshes open, and a simple light ring acts as an emergency exit sign. The lights make the rings more visible and also stimulate fish escape reactions, guiding them out. All electronic devices are powered by a tested on-board energy harvesting system, meaning that once fishermen fit the devices to their nets they never have to think about them again. When trawls reach the end of their working life, the Escape Rings can be removed and fitted to the new one. The Rings are available in a range of sizes.

Inspiration

While completing a Masters of Engineering degree in Glasgow, Scotland, I chose to work on this for my final year project. A BBC article had alerted me to some of the issues around the problem and I wanted to find out more. 40% of the global population are dependent on fish as their protein source, and yet commercial fisheries are struggling to fish sustainably. Half of fish caught in the North Sea, many of them juveniles, are thrown back dead, leading to diminishing stocks. This is a global problem which needs to be solved in order to guarantee a reliable food supply for future generations. I was well placed to interact with the Scottish fishing community and gear technologists and it made sense to work on a local problem where I could experience, and hopefully find some empathy with, the industry. The project turned into a personal interest and the development continued past the end of my degree and has now turned into a start-up business.

Development

Several working prototypes have been created - both battery powered and energy harvesting - and the rings will soon be trialled in conjunction with a UK government body. Particular attention has been paid to finding materials and processes that can withstand the rough nature of the fishing industry and chemical attack of a marine environment. Keep manufacturing cost and complexity to a minimum, making them affordable for fishermen. Strength, performance at 25 atmospheres pressure and different methods of power generation have all been subject to rigorous testing and iteration. Rings weigh under 100g, are 20mm thick, and able to stand compression from a full trawl under towing conditions. Fishermen have been consulted at every stage from inception to prototype, and their feedback has helped make the Escape Rings what they are in terms of usability and fitness for purpose. The goal has always been to create a product that would actually be used and their support has helped immensely.

 

 

See the Escape Ring story here on the James Dyson Award site:

Ex-Newlyn beam trawler sinks 17 miles SW of Bolt Head

The Chloe T before she was sold away to Brixham seen here leaving Newlyn 

Five crew were rescued from a liferaft this evening after their fishing vessel Chloe T began to sink 17 nautical miles south west of Bolt Head.

Brixham Coastguard received a distress alert from the vessel at just before 4.20pm. The vessel reported that they were taking on water in the engine room. They immediately sent the RNLI lifeboat based at Salcombe and the Royal Navy Rescue Helicopter from Culdrose to the scene. They broadcast a warning to vessels in the area asking vessels in the vicinity to head for the scene. Maersk Patras, Amber J, Brittany Ferry Armorique, Dart Angler and Lady Maureen responded.

After the fishing vessel lost power and the pumps failed all the crew of the Penzance based registered fishing vessel number TZ1186 took to the liferaft. The ferry Armorique and Maersk Partas reached the scene first and stood-by the liferaft until the helicopter arrived and winched the crew to safety. The five crew are now safely back on shore and Brixham Coastguard are liasing with the owner over salvage of the vessel.

Brixham Coastguard Watch Manager David Colmer said:

"The actions of this crew almost certainly resulted in them all being rescued from this dangerous situation. They called the Coastguard at an early stage, all wore lifejackets and took to the life raft when the situation onboard deteriorated."

the AIS shows the last 24 hours track and her position fishing SE of Plymouth...

included in the track image here is the track of the Brixham beam trawler Lady Maureen which went to her assistance.

As ever, the Coastguard service were the key element in seeing that five men were swiftly returned safely to the shore. It's still not too late to say no to the cuts.

McMillan Cancer Newlyn to Penzance Open Water swim 2012

Originally an event for fun and swum by a small number of mainly local residents with members of the Stevenson fishing family showing well in the results - cancelled from two weeks ago due to inclement weather, the Newlyn to Penzance open water swim now attracts hundreds of competitors - with so many entrants the race has no longer starts by seeing competitors jump from the end of the Newlyn Harbour North quay as had been the case for many years......

and has moved to a line running from the shore where the Fishermen's Monument is to a moored buoy offshore......

hundreds of supportes head for a better vantage point on Newlyn Green...

to see the plucky swimmers make their way into the unusually still waters......

and make their way to the start line...

before being shouted at by the starter to get in line....

seconds to go before the blast on the air gun signals the off....

at which point the water turns white as hundreds of arms and legs flaili in the water...

after a few minutes the filed begins to stretch out with St Michael's Mount away in the distance....

half way to the finish and the swimmers are well spread in the Bay.....

finding the slip at the finish is easier for the taller racers....

as they arrive en masse....

some getting more than a warm towel at the end...

all proceeds in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support...

last but one, Suzie in the field gets an escort...

while the very plucky lone swimmer gets guided towards the Bathing Pool slip by a canoeist and the IRB before she heads off to the Mount!...

finally receiving a helping hand...

with a thank you salute to....

Patch and the boys aboard the IRB signalling the end this year's race.