Oil leak delays search for missing fisherman

The family of a missing fisherman whose boat suddenly capsized off the Wexford coast will have to wait until the weekend for navy dive teams to complete their search, it emerged today.

Sean Crowe, Sinn Féin TD, claimed in the Dail an exclusion zone had been set up off the Great Saltee Island with local divers warned they may be prosecuted if they tried to reach the boat, believed to be the Rising Sun.

A Marine Department spokesman confirmed a one mile exclusion zone had been set up as oil and debris was seeping up from the wreckage on the sea bed.

He said it was put in place as a safety precaution for 24 hours and had been lifted.

“They could have posed a serious health and safety risk for anyone, but the exclusion was lifted as the up welling had ceased,” he said.

The 26-foot Rising Sun went down in 52m of water at 3.30pm on Tuesday with three men on board. Two men were rescued about seven hours later by local fishermen and taken to Wexford General Hospital.

Jimmy Meyler, a father-of-four in his late 40s, was pronounced dead on arrival. Ian Tierney, 26, was rushed to Wexford General Hospital but has been discharged.

Skipper, Patrick Colfer, 37, from Slade, a well known fisherman in the Kilmore area, was at the wheelhouse manning the radio when the boat suddenly capsized. The father-of-two was not seen again after the vessel went down.

A full investigation has been launched by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.

Lieutenant Commander Tom Doyle, Navy spokesman, said Navy dive teams would not be allowed down to the wreck without compression equipment.

“We think it is really unsafe for our divers to go down to that depth. Both the Coastguard and ourselves are in agreement at this stage that to endanger our divers at this stage would not be right,” Lt Doyle said.

He added that Navy divers would not make it to the wreck until Saturday at the earliest, weather permitting, after a remote search of the area was completed.

Local experienced divers offered to go down. While the water is deep they assured the family that it was not impossible, but Lt Doyle insisted Navy divers would only go down using compression equipment.

They will have to wait for a remote operated vehicle and a compression chamber to be brought from Cork to verify whether the wreck is that of the Rising Sun.

Gale force winds are forecast for the Irish Sea off Wexford for Friday and it is likely this will delay any detailed inspection of the boat.

Mr Crowe said it was extremely distressing for the family to be left hanging on, waiting to find their loved one.

“They are causing great hurt to the family of missing skipper Pat Colfer by telling them that divers are not to go down to search the sunken vessel for his remains,” he said.

It is understood the men had been taking in lobster pots on the Rising Sun near Carnsore Point when it went down.

A spokesman for the Department of the Marine said the LE Emer had been on the scene co-ordinating the search and sonar equipment was being used. The Kilmore Quay lifeboat also spent the day assisting along with a coastguard helicopter. Four coastguard units were also deployed on the shoreline in the search for Mr Colfer.