‘Mystery ship’ is now anchored in Weymouth Bay
‘MYSTERY ship’ MV Jireh, the Nigerian-registered Russian-crewed vessel that had been taking refuge in the Little Russel, has departed local waters, Guernsey Harbours has confirmed.
She had left Norway intending to travel to Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa, but had encountered high winds in the North Sea off Great Yarmouth.
‘Further to media statements on the MV Jireh, Guernsey Harbours can confirm the vessel left local waters on Saturday morning and was heading for the south coast of the UK,' said Colin Le Ray, general manager, ports.
‘We remained in contact with the vessel throughout its stopover, but were unable to offer over-wintering berthing facilities.’
Morale among the nine crew was said by the second officer to be low after a journey which started in Norway on 28 October, with only nine days supplies left and drinking water being used as ballast.
The ship had been denied entry into harbour both here and in Jersey, with Guernsey Harbours saying there was not a berth suitable which would not have affected normal operations.
The 45m.-long Nigerian-registered ro/ro ferry had been anchored in the Little Russel since 13 November and the intentions of the crew and the ship’s owners were not certain. But on Saturday she sailed across the English Channel to the Dorset port and, according to AIS data, was anchored in Weymouth Bay.
After it anchored in the Russel, clothing and food supplied by the Red Cross and the local Co-op was ferried to the men.
The second officer reported to the Guernsey Press that the vessel only had one anchor and one engine which could cause problems in poor weather.
He said also that the number one priority was to put the ship in a safe place.
The boat was previously called Strandebarm and operated in the Norwegian fjords. She was sold recently to Herald Marine and Energy Ltd in Senegal.
