Balbriggan Harbour in Dublin is being monitored for pollution after a fishing vessel sank this morning.

It was carrying around 400 litres of diesel and 30 litres of lube oil.

Five crew members were rescued at around half five this morning after the boat ran aground and began taking in water. 

Weather conditions at the time were described as overcast with a South Easterly Force 3-4 wind blowing.

Two pumps from Clogherhead and Howth lifeboats were put onboard along with a third from the helicopter in an effort to salvage the vessel. However, despite the crews’ efforts, the pumps couldn’t overcome the water and the boat sank shortly after 8am.

Speaking following the call out, Colm Newport, Howth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of all crews involved this morning, the vessel did sink but thankfully all five fishermen have been returned safely to shore and we would like to wish them well following their ordeal. They did the right thing this morning and raised the alarm once they began to encounter difficulties and we were happy to be able to help.   

‘This call out involved lifeboat crews from three RNLI stations and our colleagues from the Irish Coast Guard, all of whom using their skills and training worked well together to bring the fishermen to safety.’