On the morning of December 21, UK’s HM Coastguard faced an intriguing situation when they received reports of a lifeboat washed ashore near Sidmouth on the English Channel. The Beer Coastguard Rescue Team was dispatched and discovered a significantly damaged emergency boat on the rocky coastline. The vessel, marked with an IMOP number and named BF Carp, had broken free from its containership, prompting efforts to track its whereabouts.
The lifeboat, capable of carrying 19 people, was reported missing on December 17 while the BF Carp was near the French coast after departing from Antwerp en route to Spain. Upon inspection, the Beer team was tasked with securing any equipment on the boat, including emergency flares. They noted extensive damage to one side of the fiberglass hull, confirming that no one had been aboard when it launched.
To prevent further damage or the risk of the boat being swept back out to sea during the evening tide, the Sidmouth Independence Lifeboat crew utilized a tractor to pull the vessel further ashore. Authorities including the Devon and Cornwall Police and the Environmental Agency have been notified about this unusual incident, while HM Coastguard continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the lifeboat’s detachment from the BF Carp.
