Bizarre maritime accident: The schooner “Rara Avis” runs aground at a salmon farm

​In the early hours of 12 August 2026, the French schooner “Rara Avis” sailed into a salmon farm east of Clare Island in County Mayo and became trapped inside a salmon pen. None of the 25 people on board were injured, and no fish escaped. However, before the ship – built to a historical design – could be freed from the net pen, around 100,000 young salmon had to be evacuated. Based on the information available so far, the accident is believed to have been caused by a navigational error – However, according to the French media, the facility’s night-time lighting may have played a decisive role. The official investigations are still ongoing.

​What happened?

In the early hours of 12 August 2026, the schooner Rara Avis entered the “Portlee-Smolt” facility operated by salmon producer Mowi Ireland, east of Clare Island at the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo. In doing so, the vessel crossed the floating ring of a salmon pen and came to a halt inside a second pen. The incident occurred at around half past four in the morning. According to reports, the 25 people on board included two children aged between eight and thirteen.

​The ship and its history

The steel-hulled “Rara Avis” was built in the Netherlands in 1957 – originally for a wealthy American banker – and later came into French ownership. The ship belongs to the association “Amis de Jeudi-Dimanche” (AJD), which was founded in 1973 by the Breton social worker and priest Père Jaouen. The AJD is based in northern Brittany and uses the vessel – along with its sister ship, the ‘Bel Espoir’ – for programmes designed to help vulnerable young people and those struggling with addiction find their way back into society through sailing.

The “Rara Avis” was modelled on the The Thames barge as a flat-bottomed boat built. Its length is given as varying figures depending on the source – 24, 27, 30 or even 38 metres. According to AIS data, the length is 24 metres.

​The Rescue

The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Malin Head (MRSC Malin Head) received an emergency call regarding a French sailing vessel taking on water near Clare Island. The lifeboat from the RNLI’s Achill Island station set out; in addition, an Irish Coastguard rescue helicopter from Sligo made its way to the scene.

Following an on-site assessment of the situation, 16 people were brought ashore and taken safely to Clare Island. The remaining nine people – including the captain, the engineer and another crew member – stayed on board to help stabilise the vessel.

​The rescue: fish before ship

Before the ship could be freed, the fish first had to be brought to safety. The affected pens contained 100,000 young salmon with an average weight of 500 grams – fish that had only recently been transferred from freshwater to seawater and were still growing. They were transferred to the specialised vessel ‘Inter Atlantic’ whilst preparations were made for the salvage of the schooner.

The ‘Inter Atlantic’ is what is known as a ‘wellboat’ – a specialised vessel for transporting live fish in on-board water tanks, with a capacity of 2,200 cubic metres. It had been specially dispatched from the south of Ireland to Clare Island.

Shortly before 6 pm that same evening, the vessels from Mowi Ireland finally managed to free the “Rara Avis” from its unusual confinement within 15 minutes. The RNLI lifeboat then escorted it to Achill Island, where it arrived at 8 pm.

​No injuries, no fish escaped

The flat hull of the “Rara Avis” is likely to have played a major part in enabling the ship to enter both enclosures – whilst at the same time ensuring that the underwater nets remained undamaged. Divers inspected the enclosures after the salvage operation and confirmed that the containment nets showed no signs of damage. Above the waterline, however, the schooner had damaged escape nets and bird protection nets; nevertheless, no fish escaped.

According to the French sailing magazine “Voiles et Voiliers”, there was a minor leak in the engine room on board the “Rara Avis”, which was quickly sealed. The latest AIS data shows that the ship has since resumed its journey and is currently off the south-west coast of Ireland.

Could faulty lighting be the cause?

Speculation as to the cause of the accident ranges from a lack of attention to faulty lighting. Irish authorities, including the Marine Survey Office, have launched official investigations. The initial theory was that the accident was caused by a navigational error on the part of the ship’s crew. However, according to the French trade journal *Le Marin*, the aquaculture facility’s night-time lighting may have failed or been inadequate – which would literally cast the question of responsibility in a different light.

​Labelling of aquaculture facilities: regulations and reality

​Offshore fish farms must, as a general rule, be treated as navigational obstacles and marked accordingly, as stipulated by the “International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities” (IALA), the relevant international organisation for navigation marks and aids to navigation.

Aquaculture facilities should be marked in accordance with IALA Recommendation O-139 on the marking of artificial offshore structures; special marks, lateral buoys or cardinal buoys may be used for this purpose, whilst fairways between facilities should generally be marked with lateral marks. Special marks – the most common type used for aquaculture facilities – consist of yellow buoys or posts with a St Andrew’s cross as the top mark. At night, illuminated special marks emit a yellow light in a pattern that cannot be confused with other navigational marks.

However, it is not always the case that a fish farm is marked on a nautical chart: in Norway, for example, not all fish farms are shown on nautical charts, as their locations change frequently – sailors are expressly advised to keep an eye out for them.

In Ireland, the regulations governing this area are particularly complex: the “Commissioners of Irish Lights” act as the “General Lighthouse Authority” for the whole of Ireland – and are therefore also responsible for approving the marking and lighting of fish farms. The Irish seafood agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), is working with the Commissioners of Irish Lights to install simplified navigational markings along the coast. The aim of the so-called Special Unified Marking Schemes (SUMS) is to encourage all aquaculture producers in a given area to integrate their boundary markings into a standardised scheme – thereby standardising the previously often confusing array of different signs. The Irish Merchant Shipping Act stipulates that no buoy or beacon may be installed, removed or altered without the authorisation of the Commissioners of Irish Lights – Irish Lights is therefore also responsible for authorising all navigational aids at aquaculture sites.