'Drifting' fishing boat stopped from going into shipping channel by Portsmouth lifeboat crews

A ‘drifting’ fishing boat which lost power was rescued by lifeboat crews.

Personnel from Portsmouth RNLI LIfeboat Station were deployed to stop the vessel from ending up in the shipping channel. The report was made at 11.23pm on June 23.

Sign up for our free newsletters and let the headlines come straight to you

A Facebook statement said volunteers assisted a “25ft fishing vessel with one person on board that had suffered a loss of power and was drifting”. “The vessel was initially reported to be at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour and drifting towards the shipping channel,” they added.

“Prior to launch, updated information placed the casualty vessel at the entrance to Langstone Harbour. With no other vessels available to assist and the vessel unable to deploy an anchor to secure its position, there was a potential risk to navigation and other water users.”

Lifeboat crews determined that the vehicle had no anchor and couldn’t secure itself in the water. The vessel was towed to the ferry pontoon, which was the nearest place of safety.

The social media statement added: “The casualty vessel was safely secured alongside, and the lifeboat crew returned to station, with the boat recovered, refuelled and ready for service again by midnight.”