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Four days rescue operation for disabled purse seiner off Bjørnøya
The 'Sara Karin', with nine crew members on board, got its purse seine caught in the propeller amid bad weather in the Barents Sea 50 nautical miles northwest of Bjørnøya and had to be assisted by the Coast Guard on Oct 18, 2026. The patrol vessel 'Bjørnøya', which had been moored behind Bjørnøya with a crew consisting of 24 permanent employees and 35 conscripts, was deployed to assist by the Coastal Administration and took the 'Sara Karin' in tow towards the shore at a speed of 5-6 knots at 8.15 p.m. At 3.30 a.m., the towing connection failed, when the attachment points in the bow of the fishing boat gave way to the forces of the storm. In strong gales with around eight meters wave height, the Coast Guard vessel had to back up close to the casualty to shoot over a new tow line. Three hours later, the tow was finally secured again, and the course was set towards the east side of Bjørnøya. The conditions in the lee of Bjørnøya also presented challenges, with currents and swells from different directions that forced the Coast Guard to go in a continuous figure-eight pattern with the casualty in tow. Several other fishing boats in the area also sought refuge at the island to ride out the storm. On the night of Oct 20, when the storm center passed at its worst, thetowing wire broke once again. The 'Sara Karin' immediately began to drift eastward, out of the lee and towards the open sea with ten-meter waves and wind gusts of up to 60 knots. The casualty was drifting fast, and the margins were extremely small. If there would not have been the shielding from Bjørnøya astern, it could have developed even more worse. Once again, the crew managed to establish a new connection in the demanding conditions. On the way to the mainland, the tow cable broke for the fourth time, but reserve lines were quickly connected from the Coast Guard. North of Nord-Fugløya in Troms, the 'Sara Karin' was finally handed over to a civilian tug, which pulled the vessel the last distance to Hamnes in Lyngen for repairs to the propeller. By then the rescue mission had lasted four days. The response was coordinated via the Maritime Traffic Central Service in Vardø, which was following up on the incident. Report with photos: https://www.nrk.no/tromsogfinnmark/kystvakten-kjempet-i-fire-dogn-i-uvaer-i-barentshavet-for-a-berge-fiskebat-1.18064185
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