NI Conservatives’ fisheries spokesman and commercial fisherman, Paul Leeman, has emphasised the importance of safety at sea, after a fishing boat sank just outside Kilkeel harbour. Mr Leeman also stressed the vital role of the Coast Guard Centre in Northern Ireland, which Conservative minister, Mike Penning, saved from closure.
“As a commercial fisherman I am acutely aware of the dangers of the job and the need to wear life-jackets and maintain working safety equipment”, Paul remarked. “Thank goodness, thanks to the swift action and professionalism of fellow fishermen, the Kilkeel Inshore Lifeboat and the Irish Coastguard’s Search and Rescue helicopter team, the crew of the Snowdonia were safely recovered.”
“The fishing industry is vital to County Down, and this incident emphasises why it was so important for a Conservative minister to step in and save the coastguard centre at Bangor. Mike Penning’s decision makes the seas around Northern Ireland a safer place and could yet save lives in the fishing industry”.