A local fishing vessel was towed safely back to harbour after becoming stranded south-west of the Calf of Man on Tuesday afternoon.

Port St Mary RNLI's all-weather lifeboat, the Henry Heys Duckworth, was launched at 1.39pm on June 23 following a request for assistance from HM Coastguard.

Eight volunteer crew members were on board the lifeboat, which arrived at the scene at 2.46pm.

The vessel, which was around nine miles offshore, had lost propulsion and was left drifting at sea. The two people aboard the fishing vessel were reported to be safe and well and were wearing lifejackets, but the boat remained unable to manoeuvre.

Following an assessment, the RNLI crew discovered that fishing gear had become entangled beneath the hull as the vessel drifted.

With the vessel unable to make way under its own power and presenting a potential hazard to other marine traffic, the crew determined that the safest option was to establish a tow.

As the tow commenced, the movement of the vessel helped to free the tangled gear, which was subsequently recovered.

The fishing vessel was then towed back to Port St Mary Harbour, the nearest suitable port, arriving at around 5.30pm.

Mike Teare, lifeboat operations manager at Port St Mary RNLI, commented: 'Even on calm days, engine problems can quickly leave you drifting and unable to manoeuvre.

‘We’d always encourage boat users to carry a reliable means of calling for help, wear appropriate safety equipment, let someone know your plans before heading out, and make sure your engine and equipment are well maintained.'

The call-out also marked a memorable birthday for crew member Laura, who spent the day responding to the emergency and took the helm for the passage out to the incident.