The crew of a Manx-registered ship is being praised for saving the lives of a British couple and a crewman, who were picked-up while clinging to a life raft in treacherous seas.

The Tilda Kosan responded to a mayday call from the United States coastguard while en route from the UK to Mexico after a yacht sank in a storm.

The Manx-flagged tanker, one of three vessels to respond, was first to locate the group, after diverting from its course 900 miles north-west of Bermuda.

A couple from Northamptonshire, a Belgian crewman and the couple's terrier had been adrift in the ocean for several hours amid 25 foot waves in complete darkness.

After three attempts, the captain of the Tilda steered the ship alongside, to haul the stranded sailors and the dog, cold and weak from their liferaft, to safety.

The couple say the captain was hugely skilful and describe their rescue as nothing short of a miracle.

Director of the Isle of Man Ship Registry Dick Welsh has also paid tribute to the actions of the master and crew on board the Tilda Kosan.

Pictured: Yacht survivors with the Tilda Kosan crew on top of the liferaft.