Corrib "Armada" flounders on Mayo coast

Shell-hired boats poorly handled in Broadhaven Bay

The so-called "Corrib Armada" may be heading for the same fate as the Spanish original, as several Shell-hired vessels have entered the troubled waters of the ongoing Corrib gas saga.

This morning at dawn (Tuesday) Broadhaven Bay saw yet another Shell boat in trouble. Several times during the recent dredging operations (for the planned offshore pipeline) vessels have encountered problems, and the Vlaanderen VII was the latest casualty.

For about six hours the barge sat helpless on the submerged rocks close to shore at Glengad, presumably forced there by the choppy waters and sudden surges in the early light [a drunken skipper is also a possibility as happened at Ballyglass three years ago; that culprit fled this jurisdiction after damaging fishing boats tied-up at the pier].

The bow of the boat, pointing out towards Erris Head, received repeated blows from the breaking waves for several hours before an eventual rescue by the accompanying tugboat. Several attempts were made to free the barge, which spun a number of times back and forth as if on a turntable, before it finally slipped into deeper water. It was then towed back towards Ballyglass at a snail's pace, with no work done on the sea-bed.

During the tug-of-war the onlooking Noirin Ban (a local pleasure boat hired as an escort) almost capsized as it exposed it's flank and stern to the crashing waves.

Previously, the dredger itself had repeated problems on the job at Glengad, limping back and forth to Ballyglass (and even up to Donegal) for emergency repairs.

Between rocks and dolphins and careless handling, the Corrib armada has appeared very shaky at times, and none of this bodes well for the feted Solitaire, due to enter the fray later this week.

stern exposed

tug working hard

still tugging

finally freed