14 French fishermen rescued off Dingle coast after vessel runs aground

Kenneth Fox

A dramatic rescue on Sunday saw at least 14 crew members winched to safety after the vessel ran aground on rocks.

Valentia Coastguard Marine Rescue Centre in Co Kerry co-ordinated the operation, which saw the Dingle Coastguard, the rescue helicopter from Shannon, along with the coastguard’s fixed wing plane, and the Valentia Lifeboat at the scene.

However, there is concern now about environmental considerations.

As the Irish Examiner reports, the vessel, the Fastnet, was on its way out of the harbour with up to two weeks' fuel on board.

Local councillor Robert Brosnan said a big thanks was due to the emergency services and the great work they do and did earlier on Sunday, in challenging conditions.

“There is concern now about the environmental fallout regarding the huge amount of fuel which would have been on board,” Mr Brosnan said.

There were already signs of leakage into the sea.

The medium-sized red and white, and blue vessel is thought to have lost power before going up on the rocks at Bín Bán, just east of the lighthouse in Dingle.

The crew were winched on board the helicopter to safety.

The trawler was on its way out of the harbour this morning in the expectation of calmer conditions and comparatively fine weather later on Sunday.

However, there were high swells and what was described by locals as “an awful roll” in the seas during the rescue attempt.

Valentia MRSC coordinated a rescue after a fishing vessel ran aground at Dingle Harbour, Co. Kerry. Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 winched 14 people to safety, with the support of Rescue 120F, RNLI lifeboat & Dingle Coast Guard. 👏 Huge thanks to all units involved. pic.twitter.com/Q6vlzHS6n6

— Irish Coast Guard (@IrishCoastGuard) December 14, 2025