Marine Response teams flown out to stricken vessel
The Fire and Rescue Marine Response Team (FRMR) was called into action this week when they were called to attend a fire on board a vessel in the North Sea off the Norfolk coast.
Two teams assembled at Immingham West Fire Station following the may-day call from the MV Elbetor at 5.20am on Wednesday 13 January 2016. The 87 metre long vessel was carrying 3250 tonnes of grain from King's Lynn to Rotterdam. A fire in the accommodation block forced the Captain to drop anchor and call the emergency services.
The first team was flown from Humberside Airport by helicopter and winched aboard in choppy waters five miles off Cromer in Norfolk. The fire was extinguished, but the second team was called on board to assist with the difficult and dangerous ventilation of the vessel to ensure the safety of the seven Russian crew on board.
Footage was captured of the helicopter's arrival at the Elbetor and can be seen in the ITV Anglia piece along with an interview with SM Rich Gibson by clicking here
Cromer RNLI were quickly at the scene as dawn broke in case the crew had to abandon ship. They later brought the 12 FRMR firefighters back to shore in near darkness after around five hours on board the vessel.