A specialist salvage company is surveying the area where the P6T2 yacht sunk after striking a metal navigation buoy in St Aubin’s Bay in the hope of lifting it out of the water

5 December 

A specialist salvage company is monitoring the area where the stricken P6T2 Pershing motor yacht has been moved to after sinking in St Aubin’s Bay following a collision with a navigation buoy.

The company is carrying out a survey in St Brelade’s Bay for four days before they will be able to assess whether they can lift the £1.8M stricken boat out of the water.

An investigation into the accident is currently taking place.

30 November 

The Ports of Jersey have released an infrared image of the stricken P6T2 yacht and are monitoring the area where it sank daily, whilst they assess any potential danger.

Alan Donald, Group Marketing, Media & Communications Manager, Ports of Jersey, told YBW.com:

 “Ports of Jersey continues to survey the wreck on a daily basis, liaising with colleagues at Jersey’s Environment Department, and working closely with OSRL (Oil Spill Response Limited). At present we have no reports of any diesel, which we understand appears to be approx. 2000 litres on board at the time of the collision, leaking into the sea.

 A salvage company has been appointed by the insurance company and has mobilised assets, waiting for an improvement in the current weather conditions to undertake the recovery of the boat. This is a complex and potentially hazardous operation, requiring a period of settled sea conditions, requiring assets from outside the Island as Jersey does not have the capability.”

 

November 28

The P6T2 Pershing yacht that sank in St Aubin’s Bay after colliding with a buoy has been deemed unsafe for fishermen, divers and cargo ships, who have all been advised to stay away from the area.

Commercial vessels have been asked to take a different shipping route away from stricken yacht.

The Harbourmaster said last week that the 45-tonne yacht may be left on the seabed, however a survey has found that the yacht is moving with the tide.

The Jersey Evening Post has reported that Jersey Senator Lyndon Farnham has signed a ministerial decision to authorise the exclusion zone where the yacht sank at the instruction of the Harbourmaster.

YBW has contacted the Jersey Coast Guard for further information.

 

November 22

The P6T2, a £1.8 million, six-berth Pershing motor cruiser, sank on Friday night (17 November) after colliding with the green Ruaudière Buoy at about 26 knots (30 mph) in the centre of St Aubin’s bay at about 5.45 pm. It had been heading out of the Bay towards St Peter Port in Guernsey.

The yacht sank in 26m of water, just south of the main commercial sea passage to the island. It is thought that specialist equipment would be needed to be brought to the island if there was to be any hope of recovering the 45-tonne vessel which is at least 16 metres below the surface at low tide. There is currently no evidence that fuel from the 3,200 litre tank, which was not full at the time, had leaked into the sea.

The incident came on the day the RNLI moved the only all-weather lifeboat, The George Sullivan, off Jersey and stood down the entire 25-strong crew in St Helier.  This controversial move came after the crew announced they were splitting from the charity in a row over the sacking of veteran coxswain Andy Hibbs.

Although he was later reinstated, the relationship deteriorated and the crew announced they were launching their own independent lifeboat service.

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The two crew members from the stricken yacht were rescued from a life raft by an inshore lifeboat, manned by emergency responders from the island’s fire and rescue services.

The collision with the yacht destroyed the top section of the buoy and Harbourmaster Bill Sadler said the whole unit will have to be replaced.

damaged buoy in the sea

Image courtesy of Daniel Skipp (@DanielSkipp/twitter)

While the buoy, classed as a category three buoy, should still be picked up by radar, it remains out of action and a navigation warning to mariners is in place for boats travelling in and out of St Helier. Sailors travelling to and from St. Helier are asked to remain vigilant until the buoy has been replaced.