Wrecked fishing boat could be lifted from Loch Fyne seabed

The Scottish Government has said it will now work with salvage specialists to partly raise the Nancy Glen. Picture: Jonathan Allen

The wreck of a fishing boat which sank in Loch Fyne will not be recovered by marine accident investigators.

Duncan MacDougall and Przemek Krawczyk were on board the Nancy Glen when it capsized on the sea loch in Argyll and Bute on 18 January.

The alarm was raised by a third fisherman, who was pulled from the water by the crew of a passing boat.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) had been surveying the site to decide if the wreck could be raised but said it could not.

However, the Scottish Government has said it will now work with salvage specialists and the families of the crewmen to support efforts to retrieve the bodies of the missing fishermen.

Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents Steve Clinch said: “The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has now completed its review of the data obtained from last week’s underwater surveys of the wreck of FV Nancy Glen.

“From this, and other evidence collected, we now know enough about the circumstances of the accident for us to complete our investigation, and we do not intend to recover the wreck.

“Our thoughts are with the families of Duncan MacDougall and Przemek Krawczyk who have been informed of the decision.”

The government has agreed to examine whether the vessel can be lifted from its position to enable recovery.

It would mean raising the vessel to a position just below the surface to allow divers to enter and operate as safely as possible.

The costs of any recovery would also be met by the Scottish Government.

Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “In these tragic and extremely exceptional circumstances, with the Nancy Glen having been lost within sight of the family homes and the wider community, it is only right that the Scottish Government intervenes and works with the families and salvage experts to search the vessel.

“The money raised through crowdfunding can go to the families rather than the recovery operation.

“A recovery operation will pose serious logistical challenges, and will need to be undertaken with the safety of divers and others involved uppermost in mind. This has been an upsetting time for all those involved, but we owe it to the families of the fishermen who were lost to mount this operation.”