A £15,000 salvage operation has been launched to recover the wreck of a boat sunk in Poole Harbour.

Divers spent yesterday afternoon in waters near Poole Bridge assessing the wreck of the Channel Chieftain IV, which sank within minutes on Monday night.

Harbour Master Brian Murphy said the vessel’s solitary crew member – Lithuanian chief engineer Aleksandr Vlasov – had not been aboard when the boat went down.

“The crew member on board was our first concern. He was ashore, thankfully. The owner went back to Russia sometime in May.

“He has been contacted and has been told of the situation.

“We are making enquiries to see if they have insurance. It is unlikely, but we are enquiring. Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) will have to foot the bill, which is obviously mounting up at the moment.

“There is an unpaid mooring bill of about £5,000. The cost of raising the wreck will probably be in the region of £15,000,” said Mr Murphy.

The Channel Chieftain IV – a former tuna fishing vessel bought for £23,000 – arrived in Poole Harbour in April after getting into difficulties soon after leaving Weymouth.

The crew returned to Lithuania to raise cash for repairs, leaving Mr Vlasov to maintain and protect the vessel.

Jamie Roberts, 35, moved onto the boat in June after reading an article in the Daily Echo about Mr Vlasov’s solitary vigil, and saw it sink on Monday night: “I was walking along the quay and saw the front end listing.

"The metal chains they had attached to stop it being towed away were the only things holding it,” said Mr Roberts.

The former boat builder – who lived on the vessel for two months this summer – described it as a “death trap”.

Mr Murphy said charities including the Mission for Seafarers had been contacted by PHC staff concerned for Mr Vlasov’s welfare.

“One charity paid for a plane ticket for his repatriation, which he refused,” said Mr Murphy.