Boat towed to safety after fire

By The Newsroom
Published 17th Sep 2010, 18:57 BST
Updated 18th Sep 2010, 00:29 BST
A FISHING boat has been towed to safety after a fire broke out with 13 people on board.

The Norwegian vessel Keltic contacted the Shetland Coastguard at 9:55am yesterday after a serious fire started in the engine room.

The crew were unable to bring it under control.

The Coastguard helicopter from Sumburgh, the Lerwick lifeboat and the fisheries protection vessel Hirta went to the scene, 29 miles east of Lerwick.

The fire was extinguished, but the 44m boat was left without power. The lifeboat crew managed to attach a tow rope in rough seas and take the vessel to Lerwick.