Rescuers bring swamped ship ashore
Rescuers searching for the body of a crewman who died when stormy seas overcame his boat will bring the battered vessel ashore.
Eleven other crew onboard the Vos Sailor had to be rescued when the boat was damaged and took on water during severe weather on Saturday.
The Vos Sailor, an emergency response and rescue vessel, had been operating on the Balmoral oil field 120 miles off Aberdeen on Scotland's north-east coast.
Grampian Police said one man was fatally injured. His body has not yet been recovered.
The 42.5-metre vessel is operated by Aberdeen-based Vroon Offshore Services. A Vroon spokeswoman said: "The vessel is still adrift and there is a support vessel with it. A salvage team will bring it ashore tomorrow."
Coastguards launched a rescue mission after a mayday call at 4.30am and 11 crew members were winched to safety.
At the time of the incident, winds in the area were reported to be 60-75 knots with 6.5-metre waves.
Non-essential crew on the nearby North Sea Producer, a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, were evacuated to other rigs as a precaution because the disabled boat was drifting.
A Grampian Police spokeswoman said: "The vessel sustained significant damage and 11 crew members were winched to safety during an operation co-ordinated by the coastguard in Aberdeen.
"It appears at this time that one crew member has suffered fatal injuries. Efforts are ongoing to recover the vessel which will be brought into Aberdeen harbour in due course."
