VIDEO: Catamaran raised from Foyle in salvage operation

Teams of workers were yesterday conducting a major salvage operation at the docks outside the City Council offices.

It is now over a month since the 55ft long MMV Ostrea sank beneath the River Foyle.

The vessel was found listing on the morning of December 15 and vanished beneath the River Foyle within a matter of hours.

Yesterday, a larger vessel with a hoist was being used in the salvage operation.

The Loughs Agency confirmed last week that the salvage exerts were apppointed by the Agency’s insurance company.

The MMV Ostrea was being used to operate a multi-disciplinary scientific monitoring programme within Lough Foyle.

The vessel, which is insured for £1.8m, was equipped with both biological and geophysical survey equipment specifically for use in fisheries assessments, such as regular sampling campaigns for shellfish hygiene, on behalf of the Food Standards Agency in NI and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

A spokeswoman for the Loughs Agency said yesterday that the insurance company would be managing the recovery process and the investigation.