Rescue teams race to secure drill ship adrift off Ayrshire coast in gale-force winds

Lifeboats, tugs and a rescue helicopter dispatched to scene

Valaris DS4 is understood to have had eight crew on board (Friends of the Firth of Clyde)

Rescue teams are working to secure a large drilling ship which broke free from moorings off the coast of Scotland in high winds on Tuesday amid fears it could run aground.

Anchors deployed from the 228m-long Valaris DS4 appeared to be keeping the ship in position off the North Ayrshire coast despite the poor weather.

HM Coastguard received a mayday call just after 7.20pm on Tuesday after the vessel – with eight people on board – started to drift without power.

Lifeboats, tugs and a rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene at Fairlie, close to the Isle of Cumbrae, but there were no reports of injuries. A second vessel, Valaris DS8, also needed assistance.

In a statement, HM Coastguard said: "The vessel is now at anchor off Hunterston. A moored vessel at the terminal has also required assistance in the worsening weather and is currently being helped to hold its position by four tugs.

"A RNLI lifeboat, senior coastal operations officers and three coastguard rescue teams remain on scene.

“This is an ongoing incident and we have no further information at this time."

Eyewitness David Nairn told the local Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald newspaper: “Two ships were parked at the port and one has just broke free in the wind. It swung round and it looks like the tail end is getting close to the Cumbrae side.”

Mr Nairn also tweeted a video of the vessel on Tuesday night, saying: “Only some luck, some brave individuals and a tug has stopped a drill ship heading over towards the nuclear intake cooling pipe at Hunterston.”

Friends of the Clyde tweeted on Wednesday morning: “The rescue mission continues this morning. Tug boats continue to push Valaris DS8 onto the jetty whilst DS4 has roughed it out overnight in the Clyde channel. The empty jetty where it was.”

The 11-year-old drilling ship, which docked at the nearby Hunterston port at the end of December, was battered by gale force winds overnight.

The shipping forecast issued for the area at around 10pm on Tuesday warned of severe gale force 9 winds, “very rough” seas and rain or wintry showers.

The Independent contacted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for further details.