Fishing vessel towed to safety after engine failure near Rifi in Iceland

A fishing vessel experienced engine failure after colliding with driftwood near Rifi last evening. The rescue ship Björg was dispatched to tow the boat to safety. This was one of the final rescue missions for the current Björg, as a new ship with the same name is expected to arrive in Iceland from Finland soon.

The small fishing boat encountered problems when it struck driftwood close to the harbor, rendering its engine inoperative. The crew of the Björg rescue vessel was alerted about the situation around 8:30 PM. According to a statement from Landsbjörg, the search and rescue organization, the boat did not take on any water from the collision, and its engine remained operational, though it was slowly drifting away from shore. The Björg successfully towed the disabled boat to the harbor around 9:30 PM.

At the request of the Coast Guard’s control center, the Björg crew also searched for the driftwood to facilitate its removal; however, it was not located.

Landsbjörg’s announcement mentioned that the current Björg rescue ship is nearing 40 years of service, and a new vessel, sharing the same name, is scheduled to arrive in Iceland in the coming weeks. The new Björg has been launched at the Kewatec shipyard in Finland.