Seven Scottish fishermen who lost their lives when the Solway Harvester sank off the coast of the Isle of Man 25 years ago will be remembered this weekend.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK will lay a floral tribute at the Solway Harvester Memorial on Douglas Head on Sunday at 2.30 pm to mark the tragedy.

Three members of the same family were among the seven who lost their lives on January 11, 2000 when the scallop dredger sank while heading for shelter in Ramsey Bay during heavy storms.

Skipper Craig Mills, 29, his brother Robin, 33, and their cousin David, 17, died alongside David Lyons, 18, Wesley Jolly, 17, John Murphy, 22 and Martin Milligan, 26.

RNLI lifeboat crews from Douglas, Ramsey and Port St Mary had led the initial search operation and rescue attempt.

They were joined by Steam Packet ferry Ben-my-Chree along with other vessels in the Irish Sea at the time, and aircraft scrambled for the search operation.

The Chief Minister said: ‘On this poignant anniversary, we remember and pay tribute to the men who lost their lives.

‘Our thoughts are with their families and friends and with the close-knit fishing communities of Galloway – particularly Whithorn, Garlieston, and the Isle of Whithorn – where the crew were from.

‘As a seafaring community with a proud fishing heritage, the tragedy and loss are still keenly felt in the Isle of Man. We have close links with the people of Scotland and there is an enduring bond between the Island and the crew’s hometowns.’

Following the tragedy the Manx Government mounted a £1m operation to raise the Solway Harvester from the seabed and recover the bodies of the crew, enabling them to be repatriated to their native Scotland.

The owner of the Solway Harvester was cleared of manslaughter in 2005 after his trial collapsed and the acting Deemster ruled there was no case to answer.

The vessel’s rusting wreck, for many years stored at Douglas harbour, was finally scrapped in 2013.