Boy pulled to safety by wind farm support crew in Bridlington Harbour

A marine support crew working on Dogger Bank Wind Farm rescued a young boy when he got into difficulty in Bridlington Harbour.
Chris Warren and Neil MacInnes spotted the boy clinging to a pontoon.Chris Warren and Neil MacInnes spotted the boy clinging to a pontoon.
Chris Warren and Neil MacInnes spotted the boy clinging to a pontoon.

The two-man crew from Scotland-based SMS was returning to the harbour when they heard a splash on the opposite side of the pontoon.

Celtic Mara skipper Chris Warren and deck hand Neil MacInnes spotted a young boy clinging to side of the pontoon ‘in a state of panic’.

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Mr MacInnes pulled the boy to safety while Mr Warren prevented a ladder from a yacht falling onto the boy’s head. The team offered the boy, aged approximately 7 or 8, thermal protection and reassurance before leaving him in the care of his family.

Mr Warren said: “We were happy to have been in the right place at the right time to reach out and help this little boy. When we got to him he was shocked, cold and shivery, but thankfully didn’t appear to have swallowed any water.

“We think he was either on a nearby yacht or on the pontoon when he fell into the water and while it’s not that deep, the ground is thick with mud and the temperature of the water is enough to send you into panic.

“As we’re all trained in health and safety, first-aid and marine rescue, having commercial boats in a harbour to support a wind farm development can offer an extra degree of resilience, in addition to the critical work already carried out by the local RNLI and independent lifeboat crews.

“As experienced mariners we would advise anyone who is spending time near water to follow the advice given by the RNLI at www.rnli.org.”

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