Skipper of boat grounded on rocks on Rum fined

Mallaig lifeboat's spotlight illuminates the fishermen standing at the bow of the boat

The skipper of a French fishing boat that hit rocks on Rum on Monday night has been fined £3,000.

Xavier Leaute was accused of failing to keep a proper lookout and failing to safely navigate his vessel.

He told Sheriff David Sutherland at Stornoway Sheriff Court on Lewis that he had felt tired when the boat grounded on rocks.

Leaute and his 13 crew were airlifted to safety by a coastguard helicopter and taken to Lewis.

Cedric Loughran, fishing vessel safety policy manager at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said the incident was serious.

He said: "This was another serious breach of the collision regulations and once again reminds all fishermen of the need to maintain a proper lookout at all times."

Stornoway Coastguard helicopter and Mallaig lifeboat were called to the scene late on Monday night.

Newly-released RNLI images show the fishing boat's crew standing at the bow waiting to be rescued.