Trawler takes on water at moorings:

By NSRI Hout Bay: NSRI crew pass water pumps across to begin the operation.Lyall Pringle, NSRI Hout Bay station commander, said:At 16h17, Tuesday, 27th March, NSRI Hout Bay duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from the owner of the Hout Bay fishing trawler Merlene reporting his vessel to be unmanned but taking water and sinking at her mooring in Hout Bay Harbour near to the Hout Bay Yacht Club.NSRI Hout Bay crew took a water extrication pump to the scene while NSRI Kommetjie launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of the Vines to bring a second water extrication pump and a NSRI Table Bay responded in their sea rescue vehicle to bring an extra two water extrication pumps.Despite efforts to re-float the fishing trawler, that was found already heavy laden from water intake from unknown causes, and despite the water extrication pumps and our best efforts the vessel is resting on the sea bed, semi submerged and listing to one side, propped in between 2 fellow fishing trawlers owned by the same fishing company, and the effort was not successful.The semi-submerged fishing vessel does not pose any danger to publicThe owner has arranged a salvage team to assess re-floating options tomorrow and NSRI were released from the scene.