Vessel towed to port after fire

Press, 26 January 1984, Page 7

Vessel towed to port after fire

The 25m fishing vessel Austro Carina had to be towed back to Lyttelton on Tuesday morning after a small fire broke out in her engine room. The fire was quickly put out and caused only minor damage, said the vessel’s owner, Mr John Brough, yesterday. The fishing vessel Jessica was attracted to the Austro Carina after her crew hoisted a bucket and towel, a rudimentary distress signal, on her niast. The Jessica had trouble towing the Austro Carina from just outside Lyttelton Heads back to port and so another trawler in the area,

the Treena, took over. Mr Brough expected the Austro Carina to return to the fishing grounds today. He said damage caused by the fire “did not amount to much.” The fire had started after a rag had fallen on to an exhaust pipe. The damage was confined to the electrical system, although this had left the vessel power-’ less. The six-year-old Austro Carina was in the news last year when a 4.8 m section was added to her hull, more than doubling the vessel’s storage space and improving the crew’s accommodation.