Vladimir-Petrov

Fish carrier Norholm (296 gt, built 1996), en route from Oban to Stromness, with four people on board, when a rope wrapped around the propeller at two nautical miles West of Stromness, in position lat 58 56.8N, long 003 21.2W, at 1640 hrs, UTC, today. Stromness RNLI Alb assisted and towed the vessel to Stromness harbour.

The "Norholm" was due in Scapa Flow on Dec 8 at 8 p.m. after battling more difficult conditions in the Pentland Firth during the afternoon. The "Norholm"’s anchors were dragging on the seabed and the fish carrier was drifting towards the shore at more than half a mile per hour when she was halted by the Kinlochbervie lifeboat half a mile from the shore. The lifeboat battled throughout the night to pull the vessel clear and bring her round the headland to await the emergency tug "Herakles" which then took over the tow. The seven volunteers on board the Kinlochbervie Lifeboat headed home at about 5.30 a.m. morning and battled huge swells before arrive back in port at 7 a.m. The Thurso lifeboat crew stood by until the Orkney-based tug arrived at Scapa Flow. The workboat "Voe Viking" then took her alongside in Stromness, arriving shortly after midnight.

The "Norholm" was being towed to safety after getting into trouble on Dec 7, 2014, at 8 p.m. off Cape Wrath in the north west Highlands. The fish carrier lost engine power and was drifting towards the coast in a westerly gale. The crew tried to use its anchors to keep itself away from the shoreline but this wasn’t working. The Stornoway coastguard helicopter was scrambled in case the four-man crew had to abandon ship. But the Lochinver lifeboat managed to hold the "Norholm" off the shore. The Thurso lifeboat also proceeded to provide assistance along with the Coastguard tug "Herakles".