Salvage operation awaits crane barge

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.

Efforts to salvage the Pere Charles and Maggie B have so far been hampered by bad weather and delays in the arrival of vital equipment.

Pere Charles skipper Tom Hennessy, 32, uncle Pat Hennessy, 48, Billy O’Connor, 50, Pat Coady, 27, and Andriy Dyrin, 32, have not been recovered since the vessel sank 4km off Hook Head on January 10.