What Crew Members Say About Rotsund

On March 12, the vessel Rotsund underwent a thorough inspection after a grounding incident. Consequently, it was detained at the port of Kishorn due to five identified deficiencies. Notably, four of these were classified as serious enough to warrant the vessel's detention. The deficiencies included: 1) Structural integrity concerns - Hull damage adversely affecting seaworthiness. 2) Navigation safety issues - Missing voyage or passage plan. 3) Navigation safety concerns - Absence of compass correction log. 4) ISM compliance failure - ISM certificate not meeting regulatory requirements. After addressing these issues, Rotsund was released on March 19 for a permitted single voyage to Haugesund, where it successfully arrived on March 21 to undergo essential permanent repairs.

In a dramatic incident on March 10, 2025, the lifeboats 'Spirit of Fred Olsen' from Kyle of Lochalsh and 'Stanley Watson Barker' from Portree sprang into action at 2:18 a.m., responding to reports that the cargo vessel 'Rotsund' had run aground in the Breakish area of the Isle of Skye. The vessel, which was traveling from Haugesund to Kyle, had dragged its anchor while involved in operations related to a salmon feed factory. Upon receiving the distress call, the UK Coastguard mobilized the rescue teams. Initially, service vessels 'Gina Mary' (IMO: 9818761) and 'Kathryn Matheson' (MMSI: 232021327), both equipped for such emergencies, were dispatched from Kyle Harbour as precautionary measures. The 'Spirit of Fred Olsen' launched from Kyle at 2:25 a.m., navigating through challenging sea conditions to reach the site of the grounding. Arriving on scene at 2:40 a.m., the lifeboat crew discovered the 'Rotsund' aground at the stern, with strong winds and turbulent seas threatening to push it further ashore. The lifeboat immediately communicated with the crew onboard to ensure everyone was safe and conducted a visual inspection of the vessel's hull to check for any signs of damage or pollution. While the crew onboard the 'Rotsund' attempted various methods to free themselves, the 'Spirit of Fred Olsen' maintained a standby role for safety. The Portree lifeboat arrived approximately an hour later, providing further support. Thanks to the rising tide, the 'Rotsund' was able to utilize its thrusters and engine to break free from the rocks at 4:15 a.m. and navigate to deeper water for safer anchorage. Both lifeboats remained on scene to ensure the vessel and crew were no longer in danger and to monitor for any potential pollution incidents. At 5:25 a.m., the UK Coastguard officially stood down the Kyle lifeboat, leaving the Portree lifeboat to provide continual safety cover until the arrival of a Coastguard tug. The Kyle lifeboat returned to station by 5:40 a.m., where the crew refueled and readied the vessel for future emergencies. Later that day, the emergency tug 'Ievoly Black' (IMO: 9439242) joined the operation alongside the 'Gina Mary', successfully towing the 'Rotsund' to Kishorn Port. Initially, a request to tow the vessel had been sent to Inverlussa's 26-meter feed supply ship 'Havgull' (IMO: 6727260), but due to capacity constraints, the ‘Gina Mary’ was dispatched from the company's headquarters on Mull to assist. For more information and images from this incident, visit the following links: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2025/march/10/kyle-and-portree-rnli-crews-called-to-80-metre-cargo-vessel-which-ran-aground, https://www.skipsrevyen.no/rotsund-ulykke/norsk-lasteskip-pa-grunn-utenfor-skottland/1907687, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ymdz47mg4o.