A remarkable recovery effort unfolded in County Donegal after a freight truck carrying approximately 15,000 live crustaceans veered off the road and overturned into a field near Redcastle. The incident occurred at approximately 07:30 local time on Monday near Carrickmaquigley, scattering valuable marine cargo across the landscape.
The shipment, valued at approximately €60,000 (£52,000), consisted primarily of crabs along with lobsters and oysters destined for Portuguese markets and restaurants. The marine life had been harvested by local fishermen from Lough Foyle and was en route from Greencastle to Rosslare Port for onward transportation to Portugal when the accident occurred.
McLaughlin’s Light and Heavy Recovery Services, based in Burnfoot, mounted an extensive salvage operation involving a team of ten specialists. Working from 13:00 Monday through 05:00 Tuesday morning, the crew employed night lighting equipment and hydraulic cranes to retrieve both the vehicle and its unusual cargo. The recovery team prioritized saving the live crustaceans, meticulously gathering them into specialized bags and ensuring proper refrigeration.
Road closures between Quigley’s Point and Moville remained in effect for 18 hours during the complex operation. Remarkably, the truck driver emerged unscathed from the incident, and recovery specialists managed to salvage approximately 95% of the spilled crustaceans, which subsequently continued their journey to Portugal.
Odhran McLaughlin of the recovery service described the incident as one of their most unusual call-outs, noting that dealing with thousands of live crabs presented unique challenges unlike any previous recovery operation.