Genesis rescue off Orkney: why all 17 aboard needed a helicopter

All 17 people aboard the fishing boat Genesis were airlifted to safety after it ran aground near the Old Man of Hoy in Orkney on October 1, 2026. No injuries were reported, but a swell breaking over the vessel made evacuation by boat unsafe.

The captain told The Orcadian he feared the boat might capsize after striking the rocks. He said he was “very grateful” to the emergency services that helped him and his 16 crew members escape; all 17 were subsequently assessed and discharged by ambulance staff.

Where Genesis ran aground

The emergency began at about 6.30am local time on Thursday, near the base of the Old Man of Hoy, off Hoy’s west coast. Genesis issued a Mayday requesting help to evacuate those aboard, bringing lifeboat and Coastguard crews to the scene.

The Orcadian identifies Genesis as a Spanish-owned, UK-flagged longliner measuring 30 metres. It was heading to Scrabster carrying 28 tonnes of fish when it struck the rocks. That account establishes its destination and cargo, but does not establish why it grounded.

Why a helicopter had to lift the crew off

In its account of the operation, the RNLI says the Stromness lifeboat Violet Dorothy and Kathleen arrived and stood by the casualty. The passenger ferry Hamnavoe also assisted after recently leaving Stromness on its scheduled 90-minute crossing to Scrabster.

Hamnavoe launched its fast rescue craft, which stood by alongside the lifeboat, according to the RNLI. Its role was to support the response: the RNLI attributes the removal of the 17 people from Genesis to the helicopter.

Coastguard helicopters from Sumburgh and Stornoway were deployed, together with the Kirkwall and St Margaret’s Hope Coastguard Rescue Teams. The Orcadian and STV also report that two other local vessels and a Royal Air Force maritime patrol aircraft responded.

A Hamnavoe passenger told BBC Radio Orkney that an announcement informed passengers the ferry would assist. In the interview reproduced by AOL, the passenger described seeing the boat on the rocks, rescue boats in the water and a Coastguard helicopter joining them.

What happened to the rescued crew

The helicopter took those rescued to Kirkwall Airport. The Scottish Ambulance Service told STV it received a call at 7.35am to attend the airport, where medical staff checked the people brought ashore.

“Three ambulances were dispatched, and 17 patients were assessed and discharged at the scene,” an ambulance-service spokesperson said. The Orcadian reported that the crew were then taken to a hotel in Kirkwall, with no injuries reported.

What the captain said about the cause

The captain told The Orcadian he believed a miscommunication aboard Genesis had caused the grounding. That is his account of what happened, rather than an established finding about the cause. The reporting does not establish individual responsibility.

His interview also captured the uncertainty over the boat’s future. Asked what would happen to Genesis, he answered: “I don’t know.” He hoped it could be made safe and moved from the rocks, according to The Orcadian’s report.

What is known about recovering Genesis

The RNLI’s October 1 release said a tug was expected from Orkney to assess whether refloating was possible. The Orcadian reported that the Coastguard vessel Ievoli Black was at the scene when its account was published that day.

STV reported that the Coastguard’s emergency towing vessel had been dispatched and its counter-pollution team informed. Notification of that team does not establish that pollution occurred: the reports do not confirm a spill, cargo loss or the extent of structural damage.

Those October 1 accounts establish the successful rescue and the response to the stranded vessel, but do not confirm a completed refloating or provide a recovery timetable. They therefore cannot establish Genesis’s position or recovery status on October 2.