A fishing trawler made port in Co Donegal yesterday afternoon following a fire on board which prompted a major rescue operation.
The UK-registered, 33-metre Sharksailed into Killybegs harbour under her own power.
It was escorted by a tug from the port which went to her aid on Saturday after fire broke out in the accommodation quarters, threatening the crew of 16 Spaniards.
Rescuers from the Naval Service vessel LE Eithne, using special fire-fighting equipment, extinguished the blaze after it had been burning for almost nine hours 56 miles northwest of Arranmore island.
The Coast Guard helicopter based at Strandhill, Co Sligo, had
earlier winched nine seamen, considered
"non-essential" in an emergency, from the trawler, and landed
them at Donegal Airport at Carrickfin.
The remaining crew were transferred to the Arranmore lifeboat while Naval Service personnel fought the blaze. Six returned to the vessel when the fire was brought under control.
One, who had a medical condition, was taken ashore by lifeboat and transferred to Letterkenny General Hospital for overnight observation.
The Saturday rescue operation was co-ordinated by Malin Head Coast Guard station after a Mayday was picked up at 1.15pm by Clyde coast guard in Scotland.
A fixed-wing Air Corps reconnaissance plane from Baldonnel was despatched to the scene, along with the LE Eithne, the Arranmore lifeboat and the Sligobased Sikorsky rescue helicopter.
A Malin Head spokesman said the crew were all on deck when help arrived. They had reported that their attempts to extinguish the fire had proved extremely difficult.