THE wreck of the Solway Harvester, a rusting eyesore that has been moored at Douglas harbour for years, is to scrapped at last.
Infrastructure Minister David Cretney told the House of Keys that families of the seven crewmen who died when the ill-fate trawler sank in January 2000 are to be advised that his department wanted to begin the process of disposing of the vessel ‘as soon as practical’, given the ‘increasing concern and potential risk’ that it poses.
He told MHKs that his predecessor as minister had given a commitment to the families in December 2008 that the government would not dispose of the Solway Harvester until there was no longer the likelihood of it being required in any legal action that the families may pursue against the previous owner.
But he said things had moved on since then.
He said: ‘The department remains in close contact with representatives of the families of the deceased crew, who have been aware for some time that the department is keen to bring the matter to conclusion.’
Mr Cretney said the preferred disposal method was for the boat to be broken up at Ramsey Shipyard.
Bill Henderson (Douglas North) suggested that as an interim measure the vessel should be covered or moved somewhere more appropriate ‘where we do not have this sombre reminder in the gateway to the Isle of Man’.
The Minister said he did not believe moving the vessel to another port around the island was a viable alternative or the ‘right thing to do’.
He added: ‘I do believe that as soon as practical, we should move in terms of final disposal of the vessel.’
Leonard Singer (Ramsey) asked whether at the inquest into the crewmen’s deaths it was stated that there was no need to retain the vessel?
He said: ‘As there is a great deal of interest in Scotland, I am sure that his statement today will go some way to solving the matter. I hope the Minister can give me an assurance that now he has decided there will be disposal, that it will be as soon as possible, would he agree, because it is such an eyesore in Douglas?’
Mr Cretney said legal advice that he was offered in June 2011 from the legal representatives of the families was that until it was known whether there was going to be a settlement, the vessel would be required for any future legal action or investigation. ‘We have made it clear that we believe the time has come to move on,’ he said.
The Kirkcudbright-based scallop dredger Solway Harvester was 11 miles off the Isle of Man when it sank in stormy waters while trying to head for the shelter of Ramsey Bay.
Skipper Craig Mills, 29, Robin Mills, 33, David Mills, 17, Martin Milligan, 26, John Murphy, 22, David Lyons, 18, and Wesley Jolly, 17, lost their lives.
The vessel was raised from the seabed by the Manx government at a cost of around £1m.
She has languished in Douglas harbour ever since, during various legal wrangles and during the inquiry into the deaths of the fishermen, who were all from the Isle of Whithorn, in Dumfries and Galloway in the south-west of Scotland.
In May 2005, boat owner Richard Gidney was cleared of manslaughter. Relatives of the victims are still pursuing civil court actions over the tragedy.
Family spokesman the Reverend Alex Currie said: ‘We would not wish to see the Solway Harvester being a hindrance to the island’s economic well-being and I understand the Minister’s position.
‘Sadly, civil proceedings are still ongoing and that had to be borne in mind.’
Verdicts of accidental death by drowning were recorded at the inquests into the deaths of the seven crewmen.