This photograph was taken aboard Vörður II.
Photo/Sent to mbl.is
The
Landsbjörg
rescue
teams
have
responded
to
five
separate
calls
since
midnight—
an
unusually
high
number
in
such
a
short
period.
Remarkably,
four
rescue
vessels
were
operating
at
sea
simultaneously,
each
assisting
vessels
in
distress.
Capsized b
oat
in
Seyðisfjörður
Just
before
1
a.
m.,
the
emergency
line
received
a
distress
call
from
five
individuals
whose
small
pleasure
boat
had
capsized
in
the
middle
of
Seyðisfjörður.
The
passengers
had
climbed
onto
the
overturned
hull.
The
rescue
team
Ísólfur
in
Seyðisfjörður
launched
a
lifeboat,
supported
by
the
rescue
ship
Hafbjörg
and
the
smaller
lifeboat
operated
by
the
Gerpir
rescue
team
in
Neskaupstaður.
A
Coast
Guard
helicopter
was
also
deployed.
Within
about
20
minutes,
all
five
individuals
were
safely
rescued
by
the
crew
of
Ísólfur’s
lifeboat
Árni
Vilhjálmsson
and
accompanying
vessels.
Fortunately,
no
one
was
injured.
The
lifeboat
crew
returned
to
the
scene,
righted
the
capsized
boat,
and
towed
it
back
to
port.
Operations
concluded
around
3
a.
m.
Four m
ore c
alls f
ollow
Later
in
the
morning,
four
additional
calls
were
received
in
quick
succession,
all
involving
coastal
fishing
boats
with
engine
trouble.
Faxaflói:
A
vessel
near
Syðra-
Hraun
suffered
engine
failure
and
had
to
shut
off
its
engine
to
prevent
seawater
from
flooding
in.
The
Akranes
rescue
boat
Margrét
Guðbrands
responded
and
towed
the
boat
to
safety.
Ísafjarðardjúp:
About
ten
minutes
later,
a
second
boat
reported
engine
failure.
The
Kofri
rescue
team
deployed
their
new
lifeboat
Svan
to
assist.
Patreksfjörður:
Around
8
a.
m.,
a
small
fishing
boat
at
the
mouth
of
the
fjord
also
reported
engine
failure.
The
rescue
ship
Vörður
II
headed
out
in
dense
fog
and
successfully
towed
the
vessel.
West
of
Syðra-
Hraun:
At
approximately
9
a.
m.,
the
rescue
ship
Hannes
Þ.
Hafsteinn
from
Sandgerði
was
dispatched
to
aid
another
small
fishing
boat
with
a
broken
engine.
An u
nusual n
ight
at s
ea
“
In
all
of
the
cases—
apart
from
the
capsizing
in
Seyðisfjörður—
there
was
no
immediate
danger
to
life
or
property.
However,
it
is
certainly
unusual
for
four
of
our
rescue
vessels
to
be
simultaneously
at
sea,
each
towing
a
boat
back
to
port,”
the
rescue
organization
stated
in
its
official
announcement.