A dutch salvage vessel will arrive of the south-east of Ireland later today as part of an operation to salvage two Irish fishing vessels.
The Pere Charles was lost in January with its five person crew, the bodies have never been found. The dutch crane barge will also attempt to salvage the wreck of the Maggie B which sank off Hook Head on March 29th 2006 two of the three man crew were lost.
The raising of the vessels will enable a thorough marine accident investigation to take place. It will also provide an opportunity for the salvage team to establish if any remains are still in the area.
The decision by the Irish government to carry out the recovery operation follows a forceful campaign by relatives of those lost, the marine community and local politicians.
The Celtic League was one of a number of organisations which added its voice to the campaign.
The League have over the years pressed the British, Irish and French governments to adopt a recovery policy in relation to accidents involving MFVs. To date the only government which has responded immediately and with out prompting to such a tragedy is the Isle of Man government.
When the loss of the of the Scottish fishing vessel Solway Harvester occurred (January 11 2000) in the Manx territorial sea the Isle of Man government promptly confirmed attempts would be made to recover the bodies of the seven man for burial and the vessel would be raised.
Some years ago following several high profile United Kingdom losses of MFVs and their crews the United Kingdom government did advise the Celtic League it was considering a recovery policy. However since that time its attitude appear to have hardened.
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J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
03/11/07
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