'Bizarre' 24-metre shipwreck spotted off Welsh coast

Jay Curtis is used to getting off the beaten track and exploring unusual sights with his drone - but even he was surprised to spot a 24-metre ship grounded off the west Wales coast.

The Swansea resident was flying his drone on 7 February when he spotted the abandoned vessel, Resolute, near Aber Hywel in Dinas, near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

The former fishing boat drifted ashore in rough seas at about 03:30 GMT on 11 December while working as a guard boat for an offshore wind farm near Ireland.

Four crew members were rescued by lifeboat and HM Coastguard said the vessel remained aground and the responsibility of its owner.

It declined to confirm who the owner was and the BBC has been unable to verify who the vessel belongs to.

Curtis, a travel content creator, said he was exploring the coastal path when a friend mentioned a nearby shipwreck.

"I try to get out and explore off-the-beaten-track places across Wales," he said.

"It just happened that the sun came out for a couple of hours while I was there - it was like it was meant to be.

"I had to check it [the ship] out, though I didn't expect it to still be there."

Curtis believes the vessel tried to shelter from bad weather before hitting rocks overnight, adding: "I would have thought a new boat like that, something quite expensive, would have been recovered or maybe rescued."

According to Curtis, the discovery coincides with 30 years since the Sea Empress oil spill, highlighting how "treacherous" Pembrokeshire waters can be.

"They're among the most dangerous in the world," he said.

Curtis said it was "bizarre" the boat was still there being "battered by Mother Nature" as the Sea Empress "re-floated within a week or so".

After he posted about it on social media, it drew hundreds of reactions, with residents sharing insights into what happened.

He said Fishguard residents had told him the ship could be left for scrap, while others believe it might become a reef.

"It's a strange sight in the landscape," he said.

"You've got this amazing coastal path and rugged landscape overlooking Pembrokeshire and then in the middle of that you've just got this 24-metre vessel stuck on the rocks."

Fishguard RNLI confirmed it attended, and sent a crew to rescue the four people on board at 03:30 GMT on 11 December.

In a statement last Friday, HM Coastguard said it continued to monitor Resolute but the vessel remained the responsibility of the owner.

It added the majority of its fuel had been transferred ashore and there had been no reports of pollution since a small amount was initially identified.