120 fishing boats/trawlers from the Irish fishing fleet are undertaking a co-ordinated search for the missing crewmen.
120 boats search for missing Rescue 116 crewmen
The search line can be seen in real time at
www.marinetraffic.com; it should be noted that only vessels exceeding 300 tons are required to carry an AIS transponder so for every vessel you see on their map display there are about 8 others between them.
The sweep, which has been planned by three fishing industry organisations (The Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation and Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association) in response to an appeal by missing crewman Mr Smith’s sister, Orla, set off from the crash location at Blackrock island, 13km west of the north Mayo coast, at first light today. The South Donegal and North Mayo coast has been divided into a number of search areas, each under the direction of an RNLI or Irish Coast Guard asset. The Naval Service ship LÉ Ciara will be on scene ready to assist where required.