Fishing boat crew rescued

THE 15­man crew of a Galician fishing vessel had to be rescued on Sunday, July 2, after a fire broke out on board.

It started in 2018 when he decided to open this “different” bar. ‘“t coincided just when they brought the hospital back to where it was before. We wanted a slightly edgy name and, while we were renovating the premises, we thought of this one because of where it is,” Vicente recalls.

Since its opening, it has proved to be a success. Some of the regulars have even named their favourite tipple ‘cervecetamol.’ Vicente’s latest plan is to give pharmaceutical ­ inspired names to dishes on the menu.

‘Farmacia’ prides itself in local gastronomy with home­made meals : ‘Family cooking, that is, what one can prepare at home, that’s what we serve.’ From meat in sauce to fried fish. Visiting doctors often thank him for ‘making hospital stays more bearable.’

There were no reports of any injuries after the incident in the Gran Sol. The sailors from the Nuevo San Juan fishing boat based in the Lugo town of Burela were rescued by another fishing vessel, the Nuevo Confurco.

As soon as the blaze broke out the 15 crew members abandoned ship and took to the lifeboats. While they were rescued safe and sound, material possessions were regrettably lost in the incident. The longline trawler was 31.5 metres in length and specialised in fishing for hake.

Maritime Rescue confirmed it received a distress call at its centre in Fisterra from the Nuevo San Juan reporting a fire on board.

At the time of calling, the vessel was located in the British SAR zone they explained.

Using this information, Salvamento informed its counterpart in the United Kingdom, which diverted several vessels to the area.

Although it was too early to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire, initial indications pointed to a short circuit in the Galician ship’s wiring.

In statements to FARO, the manager of the Puerto de Burela Fishery Produc­ ers Organisation ­ to which the burned ship belongsassured that the fire occurred when the ship was en route from French to Irish waters, its last reported location.

According to reports, the fire on board the Nuevo San Juan was left to burn as no extinction work took place, it was a case of simply controlling the direction it was heading. The ship was likely to explode once the flames reached its fuel supply, unless it sank first.