Boat hits reef at night

A fibre-glass boat with seven passengers hit a reef near Porkeri in the windy conditions on Saturday night.

The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) received a distress call at 2:35am reporting that the crew of seven had put on their life jackets.

A few minutes later, six crew members had made it onto the reef, while the remaining member tried to get the boat to safety. His efforts were in vain, and after a few minutes he also stepped on to the reef.

Shortly after, the boat moved off the reef and started drifting until it hit another reef two hours later. Police officers eventually managed to take the boat to safety.

Alcohol involved

It later emerged that the crew had returned to Porkeri from a party in the nearby town of Vágur.

Breath tests revealed that the crew members had consumed alcohol, but it is unclear whether any charges will be made as the law does not define a fixed alcohol limit for sailing this type of boat.

There may, however, have been a breach of the maritime safety law, which states that the skipper must be capable of steering the boat safely to land.

Translated by prosa.fo