The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax has confirmed the process of lifting 32 crew members off the Atlantic Destiny fishing trawler is underway.
The vessel is adrift roughly 120 nautical miles south of Yarmouth after issuing a mayday call regarding a fire on board the boat around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Spokesperson Brian Owens confirms to our newsroom once all the crew are off the ship they will be taken to Yarmouth.
Rescue crews are battling brutal weather conditions with winds blowing at 55 knots and 8 metre seas. At one point, the fire reignited and the vessel lost power.
Our CH149 Cormorant from 14 Wing Greenwood has commenced extracting non-essential crew from the vessel. The USCG Helo is also on station and will recover additional personnel. All evacuated crew will be flown to Yarmouth, NS.
— HfxJRCC_CCCOS (@hfxjrcc) March 3, 2021
A Hercules aircraft from CFB Greenwood and CH149 Cormorant is on scene along with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Fishing vessels Cape LaHave and Maude Adams are in the area providing support and the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Cape Roger is enroute.
The owner of the Atlantic Destiny, Ocean Choice International Fisheries, has contacted family of the crew and is keeping them updated on the situation.
In a release, the company states they are focused on getting all crew members safely back to shore to their families.
The Atlantic Destiny is one of Ocean Choice’s six offshore fishing vessels.
The vessel harvests frozen at sea scallops; and Riverport is the port of call for the vessel.
