Survivors of a Norwegian oil vessel which capsized 75 miles north west of Shetland last night have today spoken of the moment the boat went over, plunging the terrified crew into the North Sea.

Ten of the 15-strong crew were recovered from the Bourbon Dolphin vessel during a frantic hunt last night and this morning, but three of those were confirmed dead.

A further five are tonight presumed dead, including the captain, Oddne Remoy, 44, and his 14-year-old son, who was taking part in the trip on work experience. Rescuers tonight revealed they had given up the search to find them alive.

Today, crew member Anje Nilsen telephoned his girlfriend Gerd Sorensen, in the Norwegian city of Skittenelv, to reveal he had been rescued, and described his ordeal.

"He said it all went very quickly after the boat started to tilt in one direction," she told The Times.

"When it happened he was on a tour outside on the boat deck, and grabbed a safety vest.

"He just managed to run out, and started to climb on the ship’s side. When he fell in the water he saw a raft floating nearby but could not grab it. It was hard for him."

Despite his ordeal, Mr Nilsen survived unhurt and was released from the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick, Shetland, last night but was reportedly in shock after discovering that many of his colleagues were either dead or missing after the tragedy.

Reidar Vetvik, who runs a cafe at Lerwick and also works as a Norwegian port priest, met the survivors yesterday.

"In one way or another, the big boat chain has tilted the boat (on its) side and wind and water powers started to push the boat around in just a few minutes," he told The Times.

"It went very, very quick. They had to run, because the boat turned around."

Mr Vetvik added that the incident happened so quickly that the crew did not have time to reach for their safety vests.

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