By . Eddie Wrenn . PUBLISHED: . 17:46 EST, 3 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:27 EST, 5 April 2012 . A heroic Royal Navy airman helped save seven sailors from the stricken cargo ship which ran aground off the North Wales coast on his very first day on the job. Just hours before the vessel 'Carrier' hit rocks in the Colwyn Bay area at around 8.15pm, Petty Officer Mike Henson was taking his final assessment to become a qualified search and rescue aircrewman. Little did he know that later that day he would be putting his training to the ultimate test after being left on board the stranded ship for two hours with powerful waves lashing its side. Scroll down to see the RNLI rescue of the stricken crew . Drama: An RAF rescuer, believed to be Petty Officer Mike Henson, helps a crew member on board the stricken cargo ship 'Carrier' On the rocks: The boat, carring a cargo of stone, crashed against the rocks at Colwyn Bay . PO Henson was part of the crew on the . Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Ayrshire, . which was first on the scene after the vessel ran aground in rough seas . near Colwyn Bay in North Wales. The search and rescue crew battled . Gale Force Nine winds and five metre swells to get to the seven polish . seamen on board the ship. PO Henson was lowered onto the deck to help attach the men to the helicopter’s winch. Four of the crew were airlifted off . the boat but while the fifth man was being rescued the aircraft . developed a problem with its winch wire. PO Henson said a huge wave crashed . over the side of the boat, pushing one of the crew members against the . wall of the ship and causing the wire to slack, making it unsafe to haul . any further crew members from the stricken 82-metre long vessel. Rescue co-ordinators were forced to . scramble a second helicopter from RAF Leconfield to collect PO Henson, . the captain of the 'Carrier' boat and the final crew member. The ship, seen at low tide today, is now resting against the sea defences on the side of the bay . 'It is a fantastic job and I am very fortunate to do it,' said PO Henson. 'It was a very hard and testing first day but I have been lucky to be taught by some very good instructors.' Rescue workers are now urgently trying to pump fuel from a stricken ship that crashed into the shore of North Wales last night. Fuel has started to leak from the cargo ship 'Carrier', which was carrying 40,000 litres of 'gas oil' when it hit rocks, with seven crew-members aboard, in the Colwyn Bay area at around 8.15pm. Environmental officers are today working to safely remove 40,000 . litres of fuel from a stricken cargo ship which ran aground in rough . seas, sparking the rescue of seven crew members. The ship has leaked a 'small quantity' of oil into surrounding waters, the Environment Agency said. The fierce weather has made it difficult to begin rescuing the ship, which contains 40,000 litres of fuel . The ship, known as the 'Carrier', can be seen pressed up against the side of the Colwyn Bay rocks at day-break . Rescue: Helicopters such as the Royal Navy Sea King went out on the mission . Waves pour over the side of the grounded cargo ship 'Carrier' as it lays against the sea defences . But the main fuel supply for the boat, which hit rocks near Colwyn . Bay in North Wales on Tuesday night, is still thought to be intact, the . Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. Oil which was in use at the time has seeped out of the 82-metre long . vessel but the impact of the oil leak is expected to be 'minimal', . Environment Agency Wales said. A spokeswoman said: 'A small quantity of gas oil has already leaked . from the vessel, and officers are advising the MCA on how best to remove . the remainder of the fuel without damaging the environment. 'If more fuel were to leak from the vessel, current predictions are . that it would be confined to a small area between Colwyn Bay and Rhyl. 'As much of the escaping gas oil is likely to evaporate and be . dispersed by the sea, its environmental impact is expected to be minimal . at this stage. 'Officers have also been patrolling the beaches on either side of the . incident checking for signs of pollution. So far, no traces of . pollution on the beaches have been found.' The ship is believed to have lost power as it left the jetty, prompting the crash and rescue operation . The vessel in the light of day: The rough seas and high winds sent huge waves crashing over the bay of the ship . VIDEO: The RNLI have released video showing operation to retrieve the crew of the stricken ship . VIDEO: Dramatic video shows the dangerous position of the ship after it smashed into rocks .
Petty Officer Mike Henson took his final assessment earlier in the day .
Hours later he was being winched onto stricken ship to rescue Polish crew .
Clean-up crews begin removing 40,000 litres of fuel from ship .
By . Eddie Wrenn . PUBLISHED: . 17:46 EST, 3 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:27 EST, 5 April 2012 . A heroic Royal Navy airman helped save seven sailors from the stricken cargo ship which ran aground off the North Wales coast on his very first day on the job. Just hours before the vessel 'Carrier' hit rocks in the Colwyn Bay area at around 8.15pm, Petty Officer Mike Henson was taking his final assessment to become a qualified search and rescue aircrewman. Little did he know that later that day he would be putting his training to the ultimate test after being left on board the stranded ship for two hours with powerful waves lashing its side. Scroll down to see the RNLI rescue of the stricken crew . Drama: An RAF rescuer, believed to be Petty Officer Mike Henson, helps a crew member on board the stricken cargo ship 'Carrier' On the rocks: The boat, carring a cargo of stone, crashed against the rocks at Colwyn Bay . PO Henson was part of the crew on the . Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Ayrshire, . which was first on the scene after the vessel ran aground in rough seas . near Colwyn Bay in North Wales. The search and rescue crew battled . Gale Force Nine winds and five metre swells to get to the seven polish . seamen on board the ship. PO Henson was lowered onto the deck to help attach the men to the helicopter’s winch. Four of the crew were airlifted off . the boat but while the fifth man was being rescued the aircraft . developed a problem with its winch wire. PO Henson said a huge wave crashed . over the side of the boat, pushing one of the crew members against the . wall of the ship and causing the wire to slack, making it unsafe to haul . any further crew members from the stricken 82-metre long vessel. Rescue co-ordinators were forced to . scramble a second helicopter from RAF Leconfield to collect PO Henson, . the captain of the 'Carrier' boat and the final crew member. The ship, seen at low tide today, is now resting against the sea defences on the side of the bay . 'It is a fantastic job and I am very fortunate to do it,' said PO Henson. 'It was a very hard and testing first day but I have been lucky to be taught by some very good instructors.' Rescue workers are now urgently trying to pump fuel from a stricken ship that crashed into the shore of North Wales last night. Fuel has started to leak from the cargo ship 'Carrier', which was carrying 40,000 litres of 'gas oil' when it hit rocks, with seven crew-members aboard, in the Colwyn Bay area at around 8.15pm. Environmental officers are today working to safely remove 40,000 . litres of fuel from a stricken cargo ship which ran aground in rough . seas, sparking the rescue of seven crew members. The ship has leaked a 'small quantity' of oil into surrounding waters, the Environment Agency said. The fierce weather has made it difficult to begin rescuing the ship, which contains 40,000 litres of fuel . The ship, known as the 'Carrier', can be seen pressed up against the side of the Colwyn Bay rocks at day-break . Rescue: Helicopters such as the Royal Navy Sea King went out on the mission . Waves pour over the side of the grounded cargo ship 'Carrier' as it lays against the sea defences . But the main fuel supply for the boat, which hit rocks near Colwyn . Bay in North Wales on Tuesday night, is still thought to be intact, the . Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. Oil which was in use at the time has seeped out of the 82-metre long . vessel but the impact of the oil leak is expected to be 'minimal', . Environment Agency Wales said. A spokeswoman said: 'A small quantity of gas oil has already leaked . from the vessel, and officers are advising the MCA on how best to remove . the remainder of the fuel without damaging the environment. 'If more fuel were to leak from the vessel, current predictions are . that it would be confined to a small area between Colwyn Bay and Rhyl. 'As much of the escaping gas oil is likely to evaporate and be . dispersed by the sea, its environmental impact is expected to be minimal . at this stage. 'Officers have also been patrolling the beaches on either side of the . incident checking for signs of pollution. So far, no traces of . pollution on the beaches have been found.' The ship is believed to have lost power as it left the jetty, prompting the crash and rescue operation . The vessel in the light of day: The rough seas and high winds sent huge waves crashing over the bay of the ship . VIDEO: The RNLI have released video showing operation to retrieve the crew of the stricken ship . VIDEO: Dramatic video shows the dangerous position of the ship after it smashed into rocks .
at around 8.15pm, Petty Officer Mike Henson was taking his final assessment to become a qualified which contains 40,000 litres of fuel . The ship, rescue operation . The vessel in the light of retrieve the crew of the stricken ship . VIDEO: