FPV RHODRI MORGAN

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Patrol boat to join search for lost fishing vessel

The 'Rhodri Morgan' on March 30, 2021, joined the search for the lost f/v 'Nicola Faith' off the coast of Conwy. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which is probing the disappearance of the fishing boat, has acquired the use of the patrol vessel from the Welsh Government, which has sonar scanning equipment. The bodies of two crew members, Ross Ballantine, 39, and Carl McGrath, 34, have been identified after being discovered on the Wirral and Blackpool. They had been on the vessel Nicola Faith with third crew member, Alan Minard, 20, when it left Conwy on Jan 27. The body of a third man has also been discovered but has not been formally identified. The 'Rhodri Morgan' will be mobilised with a towable multi-pulse side scan sonar. In addition, mounted on a second vessel, Natural Resource Wales are also operating a high definition side scan sonar which has been used by the MAIB for a number of days. The investigation was launched on Feb 1, four days after the 'Nicola Faith' was reported missing, and has covered more than 30 square miles of seabed.The MAIB has identified the vessel’s primary operating area, which has been searched with a considerable amount of overlap. The search has been hampered by poor weather in recent weeks. A private search is also being led by the oceanographer David Mearns, a deep water rescue specialist who helped to recover the wreckage of the plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala. Mr Mearns's expertise and resources were acquired after a huge fundraising effort has gathered more than £84,000. He has hired the survey contractor SEP Hydrographic with equipment including a multi-beam sonar and side-scanner. The search has covered areas about 4.5 kilometers off the Great Orme and ruled out possible sightings including an 11-metre shipwreck and a patch of diesel fuel off Pen Trwyn point.