#NEWS UPDATE - The Irish Coast Guard told RTÉ News that it has received an "overwhelming" response from the diving community to its appeal to join the search in West Cork for two missing fishermen.

Skipper Michael Hayes and crewman Saied Ali Eldin are still missing after the fishing vessel Tit Bonhomme ran aground in rough seas near Adam's Rock at the mouth of Glandore Harbour.

Only one of the six-person crew - 43-year-old Abdul Mohammed – is confirmed to have survived. The bodies of Kevin Kershaw (21) and Attia Shaban (26) were recovered last week, while the remains of Wael Mohammed (35) were found by civilian divers near the wreck site last Sunday.

Coastguard manager Declan Geoghegan said that search teams now have the 48 divers required to conduct an exhaustive search of the wreck area and urged further volunteers not to travel for the moment.

The search will concentrate on the waters between Adam's Rock and Long Point, where much of the debris from the trawler has washed up.

RTÉ News reports that more than 200 volunteers are assisting the coastal search by boat and on land, which is being co-ordinated from the village of Union Hall.

#RESCUE - The search resumed this morning for five men missing after their fishing boat went down in rough seas in West Cork early yesterday, The Irish Times reports.

One of the six-person crew of the Tit Bonhomme was rescued when he was able to reach the shore, after the boat ran aground near Adam's Rock at the mouth of Glandore Harbour.

The missing include skipper Michael Hayes from Helvic Head in Co Waterford, Dubliner Kevin Kershaw (21) and Egyptians Said Mohammed (23), Wael Mohammed (35) and Attea Ahmed Shaban (26).

Abdul Mohammed (43) was airlifted by Irish Coast Guard helicopter to Cork University Hospital, where he is in a stable condition.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the fishing boat was returning to its home port of Union Hall early on Sunday in strong force 7-8 southeasterly winds when the incident occurred.

Naval Service and Garda divers were scheduled to search the sunken vessel today after postponing yesterday due to poor light and big swells.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#NEWS UPDATE - A fisherman whose body was found in a Scottish harbour on St Stephen's Day has been identified as that of a 34-year-old Donegal man, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Philip Anthony Toland, from Glengad in Inishowen, Co Donegal, was last seen on Christmas Day near the pier at Ullapool harbour in the Scottish Highlands.

As BBC News reports, concerns were raised later that evening and a search was launched involving police, coastguard and RNLI lifeboat teams.

The body was located by a police dive team in the sea near the pier when the search resumed on Monday morning.

It is being speculated that Toland - who has an eight-year-old son - may have slipped and fallen into the water while returning to his boat.

#NEWS UPDATE - The search was set to resume this morning for a missing man feared drowned in Cork city, the Irish Examiner reports.

Search efforts were mounted last night after the man's family notified gardaí. The man, believed to be in his 60s, is thought to have disappeared from Ballincollig Regional Park in the west of the city, where his car and phone were found.

Waterford's Irish Coast Guard helicopter joined the search along with gardaí and the Crosshaven coastguard, concentrating on the River Lee where water levels were high due to heavy rain.

#SWANLAND–Eleven coastguard rescue teams and an RAF helicopter have completed a search of the north Wales coast this morning, following the loss of the cargo carrier 'Swanland' in the early hours of yesterday morning. Although some additional wreckage including a lifejacket and a lifering have been found, the missing seafarers have still not been located.

This morning's search for the five seafarers began at 8.00 am and covered 105 miles of coastline from Holyhead to Aberdovey. Although that search is now complete, coastguards will carry out a short low water search from 3.00 pm until dusk.

Five lifeboats, six helicopters, four coastguard rescue teams, three merchant vessels, an Irish naval patrol vessel and a fixed wing aircraft searched an area of approximately 300 square miles yesterday. However, the only sign of the missing seafarers was their two liferafts, a lifebuoy from the vessel and a survival suit.

Holyhead Coastguard Watch Manager, Ray Carson says:

"Sadly we still have not been able to locate the missing seafarers. We will carry out one final search at low water today."

A search and recovery operation is being conducted from Banagher bridge downstream towards Meelick Lock. A number of vessels are involved including a dive vessel and a sonar search craft.

Waterways Ireland request masters of vessels to proceed at slow speed and with minimum wash when in the area to avoid hindering or upsetting the search craft.

Emergency services were set to decide this morning whether to resume the search for a kayaker who went missing on Carlingford Lough earlier this week, UTV News reports.

Area man Mark McGowan, 37, was last seen kayaking in the lough at 7.30pm on Monday evening.

His blue kayak was spotted by the Irish Coast Guard on Tuesday at Killowen Point, on the north side of the lough.

Dundalk Gardaí are co-ordinating the cross-border search operation, which was interrupted by bad weather early yesterday.

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Also assisting are the Irish rescue helicopter, Greenore coastguard, Kilkeel's RNLI lifeboat, the south Down coastguard team and the Community Rescue Service.

Meanwhile, the PSNI has appealed for anyone who might have information on McGowan's disappearance to get in touch.

McGowan is described as 5'7" tall, medium build, with a clean shaven, tanned complexion and short bleached blonde hair. He was last seen wearing a red jacket, blue jeans and white trainers.

Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat crew joined the search this morning for Ballycastle woman who has been missing since Sunday evening.

The volunteer lifeboat crew assisted in an intensive shoreline search today along the coastline around Ballycastle from Fair Head to Kinbane head.

The lifeboat was joined in the shoreline search by local Coast Guards and the Police helicopter in the search, which lasted several hours.

Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat searching near Ballycastle

Weather conditions for the search were difficult with strong gusty winds.

Nothing was found in the operation, which lasted several hours.

The search continues throughout the Ballycastle area.

 

The US Coast Guard has called off the search for an Irishman who was swept out to sea in Maine last Friday.

The Irish Independent named the man as Thomas Clarke, originally from Kilnaleck in Co Cavan.

The 32-year-old was reportedly knocked into the water on Friday afternoon by a huge wave near Monhegan Island, 12 miles off the Maine coast.

He was apparently attemping to take pictures of the waves swollen by the passing Hurricane Katia when he was struck and pulled out in a riptide.

Four friends tried to rescue him to no avail, with one needing to be rescued from rocks by helicopter.

According to WABI TV, rescue crews spent nearly two days scouring 600 miles of coastline before calling off the search on Saturday night.

Clarke had been in the area with friends sightseeing before a wedding. A long time resident of the US, he had returned more than a year ago after several years in Ireland.

The Irish Independent has more on the story HERE.

CHC Helicopter rescue crews have been recognised for their brave, sustained, professional and outstanding service to maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) in Ireland.

One of the world's leading helicopter services company, CHC has built up an unparalleled reputation for excellence in SAR aviation over 20 years of operations for the Irish Coast Guard.

The tireless efforts of the team, who provide a 24-hour a day service from their Shannon base, has seen them awarded a special Directors Award for Outstanding Service to maritime search and rescue in Ireland.

Top Brass: (from left to right) Paul Truss, Eamonn O'Broin, Chris Reynolds and Liam Flynn

The award recognises the personal commitment of all the crews, engineers and staff that have, over a period of two decades from 1991 to 2011, significantly enhanced Ireland's ability to affect a successful rescue and saved many lives.

It was accepted by Shannon Chief Pilot Captain Liam Flynn, Chief Crewman Eamonn O'Broin and Base Manager Paul Truss. Director of the Irish Coast Guard, Chris Reynolds, presented the award at a screening of a television documentary about the unit in Ennis.

The programme, called Rescue 115, will be aired on Irish channel RTE and will give people the opportunity to get an intimate view of what the crew does.

Mark Kelly, managing director of CHC in Ireland, said: "I would like to extend my heart felt congratulations to each and every member of the Shannon team past and present on the Directors Award in recognition of outstanding service to the State.

"The Directors Award is a very prestigious award which has only been given eight previous times.

"In presenting the award at the premiere of Rescue 115, Chris Reynolds spoke of the outstanding service given by the Shannon base and its staff to the State over the last twenty years, during which time it has carried out 3,732 missions.

"It is a well deserved recognition of two decades of tremendous courage, loyalty and dedication to providing a world class search and rescue service."

Earlier this year, a CHC SAR crew was recognised with a Best of Irish award for their role in successfully recovering the pilot of a light aircraft which crashed in the Irish Sea.

CHC Helicopter is the world's largest offshore helicopter operator and provides civilian search and rescue services in Ireland, the UK, Norway and Australia.