RELATIVES of the five fishermen lost when the Pere Charles sank in January are hoping that today will finally give them the answers they want about their loved ones.

THE family of a fisherman who drowned off the south-east coast have severely criticised the Government for the 21-month delay in raising the doomed boat which sank last year.

The sunken trawler Maggie B has been raised from the seabed off the south-east coast this morning following a night-long operation.

A CRANE barge needed to lift two fishing trawlers sunk off the south-east coast must be re-rigged in Holland before it can assist in the salvage operation, it emerged yesterday.

THE wrecks of two trawlers lying off the south-east coast are expected to be brought to Arklow harbour early next month.

THE Department of Transport has chosen a salvage company to be used in the mammoth task of raising two trawlers that sank off the Co Wexford coast with the loss of seven lives.

HOPES are high that the wrecks of two trawlers lying on the seabed off the south-east coast will be raised to the surface in September.

TWO trawlers in which seven men died are to be raised from the seabed, following intensive lobbying by the families affected.

FISHERMEN working the Irish coast face a deadly balancing act between making a living from the sea and battling some of the most treacherous weather conditions in northern Europe.

Navy divers are continuing to search the fishing trawler that sank off the coast of Co Wexford earlier this year in the hope of finding the bodies of its two missing crewmen.

NAVAL service divers yesterday discovered the wreck of the Maggie B and began a survey of the vessel, which sank off the Wexford coast last March.

Navy divers are due to inspect the wreck of a sunken fishing vessel off the coast of Co Wexford today as part of a renewed bid to locate the bodies of its two missing crew members.

The Navy is to carry out a thorough examination of the Maggie B trawler which sank off the south-east coast in March, it emerged tonight.

THE family of the skipper of a fishing vessel which sank off the south-east six weeks ago are appealing to Transport Minister Martin Cullen to have it raised so a full investigation can be carried out.

I WOULD like to express my sincere thanks to the whole community of Ballycotton and Father Peter O’Callaghan for their efforts in the operation to save the victims of the terrible tragedy that happened off the Co Wexford coast when the Maggie B sank.

MORE THAN 100 people combed cliffs and beaches along the south-east yesterday for two missing fishermen from the Maggie B vessel which sank 8.6 kilometres south of Hook Head on Wednesday.

The search for two fishermen missing off the coast of Wexford is expected to be seriously hampered by bad weather conditions today.

The family of a skipper missing since his trawler sank off the south-east coast on Wednesday night will today lay a wreath at sea.

A MAJOR search was called off last evening for a man who fell into sea while shore fishing at Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry.

The search for the bodies of two fishermen missing since the sinking of their trawler on Wednesday night is continuing off the Co Wexford coast today.

FEARS were growing last night for the safety of two fishermen missing since their 15-metre fishing vessel, the Maggie B, went down five miles off the Hook Peninsula in county Wexford in rough seas just before midnight on Wednesday.