Fishing catamaran towed in to Lerwick on her maiden voyage

An unusual fishing boat on her maiden voyage was towed into Lerwick Harbour after running out of fuel south of Sumburgh.

The brand new catamaran Bugøyfisk had left a boatyard in Macduff and was being delivered to the owner in Finnmark in north-east Norway.

But the two Scottish crew had to call Shetland Coastguard early on Thursday morning when they realised they had run out of fuel eight and a half miles south south-east of Sumburgh Head.

The 10.65 metre boat, which has a top speed of 20 knots, was wallowing in calm seas although the electronics showed there was plenty of fuel.

Lerwick lifeboat was sent to the catamaran and got a line on board. The tow was straightforward, according to lifeboat coxswain Bruce Leask, as the conditions were favourable with south-westerly winds of only five to 10 knots. This enabled the tow to take place at the unusually high speed of around 12 knots.

Mr Leask said: “The catamaran was lightweight and towed easily through the water. The tow took around two and a quarter hours which is very fast compared to normal.”

There was no danger to the two men onboard the Bugøyfisk, Mr Leask added, although they were “a bit embarrassed” running out of fuel on their first trip.

The Bugøyfisk was fitted out by Seaway Marine of Macduff after being delivered to the yard as a bare hull, and is the second new build to be exported by the yard to Norway.

On arrival in Finnmark, which is about 1,000km north of Macduff across the North Sea, the owner will fit her out with fishing gear for gill netting, longlining and king crab potting.