Man 'lost at sea' is found in ship gym with a broken leg

David Lister, Scotland Correspondent

Strange things happen at sea, or at least that was the view of the crew of the dive support vessel DSND Pelican yesterday after they spent the best part of 48 hours searching for a colleague feared to have been swept overboard, only to find him hiding in a store room.

For nearly two days the Pelican’s 91 crew members, as well as 11 rescue vessels and three helicopters, trawled the North Sea 140 miles off Scotland east of Aberdeen for Christopher McGonigle, 35, an oil worker who was reported missing after failing to arrive at his work station early on Saturday.

By Sunday night his family had started to prepare for his funeral. But last night colleagues were said to be bewildered after he was discovered by chance on Sunday night by a crew member using the gym.

Hidden behind a roof panel in the space above a rarely accessed storage room, Mr McGonigle was found semi- delirious, nursing a broken leg and a sore back. Crammed into the small opening with him was a supply of food and water.

Mr McGonigle, from Stra- bane in Co Tyrone, had been on board the Pelican for five days when he was reported missing. He was employed on the dive support vessel by Subsea 7, a marine engineering company. He operated remote-controlled vessels.

Mr McGonigle, who has worked for the company for the past six months, was recovering in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after being airlifted from the Pelican at 2am yesterday. It is believed that he has not given a full account of his disappearance.

Subsea 7 confirmed that Mr McGonigle was being treated for “non-threatening” injuries and hypothermia.

He is believed to have broken his leg in two places and to have injured his back. A spokeswoman for the company said that she did not know how the injuries were sustained. She said: “We can only guess what happened and are totally bemused by the whole thing. When the police have finished talking to him we hope that we will be able to get some information from them and find out more.”

Robin Davies, the North Sea vice-president of Subsea 7, said: “We will try to establish the reasons behind his disappearance and, of course, assist Grampian Police in any inquiries they may have.”