Kilda fishing boat and two crew members missing off Lewis
The vessel was reported overdue on 13 October 2026; items belonging to it were later recovered during searches, and an exclusion zone was lifted on 22 October.
Kilda was reported overdue after failing to return from the Port of Ness area on 13 October 2026. Police Scotland said it had sailed from Brevaig earlier that day with Douglas Craigie, Norman “Tam” Murray and Murdo Morrison aboard. Craigie’s body was recovered the following morning. Items belonging to the vessel were recovered in a search on 22 October, when the MAIB exclusion zone was lifted. A fundraiser for the affected families had raised more than £148,000 against a £110,000 target.
Key dates in the Kilda incident and the subsequent search off Lewis.
Departure and missing-vessel report
Police Scotland said the fishing boat Kilda was believed to have sailed from Brevaig, on the west coast of Lewis, at about 7.30am on 13 October 2026, travelling to the Port of Ness area to work.
The vessel failed to return that evening and was reported overdue to police at about 11.35pm. The three crew members were Douglas Craigie, 49, Norman “Tam” Murray, 40, and Murdo Morrison, 23. Police said all three men were local to Lewis.
Search and exclusion zone
Craigie’s body was recovered from the sea in the area at about 2.45am on 14 October. In its account, Police Scotland said Murray and Morrison remained unaccounted for and were being treated as missing people; the vessel also remained unaccounted for.
On 22 October, specialist officers from Police Scotland’s Marine and Dive Unit and partner agencies recovered items belonging to Kilda during further investigations in an area of interest off Port of Ness. The MAIB exclusion zone for divers and vessels between the Butt of Lewis and Port of Ness was lifted at 11.59pm that day.
Police Scotland said it was working with HM Coastguard and the RNLI to search for the vessel and the two missing men. The force warned members of the public not to conduct searches in conditions that could put them at risk and asked anyone with information to call 101, quoting reference 3575 of 13 October.
Fundraiser for the families
A GoFundMe campaign for the families affected by the incident had raised more than £148,000 against a target of £110,000, according to figures reported on 22 October.
Explore the background
Further reading
Selected background resources to explain the context and concepts behind this story.
Understand the structure and responsibilities of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in investigating maritime incidents.
MAIBInvReport 17/2017 - Louisa
The MAIB publication provides official information on its role, organisational structure and related procedures.
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FORMAL SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF FISHING VESSELS
...?? We need proper JSON. Let's craft three: candidate 2, 13, 19 maybe. Ensure resource_type appropriate. Provide learning_goal and reason. Let's output. }
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