Minister calls for MoD to probe sub incident

Minister calls for MoD to probe sub incident

22 April 2015

A STORMONT Minister is demanding answers from the Ministry of Defence after an Ardglass trawler came within seconds of being sunk by what is believed to have been a submarine.

The crew of the 60 tonne trawler Karen claim their nets were snagged by the submarine and it wash only the quick actions of skipper Paul Murphy and his three-man crew that prevented the vessel from being pulled under the water.

Fisheries Minister Michelle O’Neill visited the village on Monday night to meet with boat owner Simon Wills, his skipper and fishermen’s representative, Dick James. She said she shares the concerns of the fishermen and that Ministry of Defence officials need to make available what information they have about last week’s incident.

“We have to get to the bottom of this issue over the next few days and use whatever political pressure we have at our disposal,” she declared.

Fishermen are concerned no action will be taken in the wake of what happened and fear a fishing crew could perish in a similar incident unless the full facts of what happened last week are made public.

“I share the concerns of the Ardglass fishermen and have already raised the issue with Secretary of State Teresa Villiers. I have also asked Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to raise with her what could have been a tragedy,” confirmed Miss O’Neill.

“We will take this issue to the highest political level and do whatever we can to get answers. Fishermen can be assured of our support and our determination to find out who was responsible. I fully understand the urgency around what happened within the fishing community in Ardglass.”

Miss O’Neill said she is thankful there wasn’t a tragedy arising out of the incident involving the submarine and made it clear there needs to be a full investigation so fishermen know it is safe to fish. She also signalled her intention to raise the issue with Cabinet Office Minister Liz Truss.

The Minister continued: “If the Ministry of Defence was involved in the incident in any shape or fashion then it must say so. The Ardglass fishermen need to know who was responsible for what happened.

“Every day that passes without answers people are going out to sea and putting their lives in jeopardy. I will be pushing very strongly for answers from the Ministry of Defence on this issue. Fishermen are demanding answers and must be provided with them.”

Mr. James, the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation, has welcomed the intervention by the Stormont Minister.

He added: “There is a need to sit down and talk with the Ministry of Defence on this very important issue. The concerns of fishermen must be addressed. The story has made headlines as far away as New York and a lot of concerns remain in the wake of what happened last week.”