Gardaí, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Department of the Marine were last night continuing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the rescue of 13 eastern European periwinkle-pickers from an island off Skerries in north Co Dublin last Saturday night.
The 13 men and women, who are thought to be mainly from Latvia, were rescued from the uninhabited Colt Island at about 10pm on Saturday, after the Coast Guard responded to a call from a member of the public.
Gardaí in Skerries are confident they have established the identity of the person who brought the group to the island.
They are also looking at whether the group had the correct work permits.
It was unclear last night what charges, if any, the group's employer may face. It is believed the group were expecting to be picked up on Saturday evening, after completing their day's work.
They received a phone call telling them that the boat that was meant to pick them up was experiencing engine trouble and that they would have to stay on the island for the night.
Following a call from one of those stranded on the island, the RNLI lifeboat in Skerries went to the island and brought the group ashore on Saturday evening.
A spokesman for the Department of the Marine last night confirmed that it will be sending an inspector to Skerries later today to examine the boat that transported the workers to the island.
He said its investigation would examine a number of different issues regarding the rescue. These included whether the employer of the 13 individuals had the necessary documentation, and whether there was a correct marine passenger licence for the boat on which they were brought to the island.
The penalty for not having such a licence, or failing to reach the necessary safety standards, is up to €100,000 and/or two years in prison. The HSA has launched its own investigation.
Locals in Skerries last night expressed surprise that organised periwinkle-picking, involving groups of eastern Europeans, was taking place off the town's coast.
David May, owner of Joe May's bar on Harbour Road, Skerries, said there was a long tradition of periwinkle-picking in the town. But this was mainly small-scale and tended to be handed down through generations of families.
"(Colt Island) is a very small island, it's not tidal so you can't walk to it," he said. "You could swim ashore on a very, very low tide, but it is very dangerous.There have been quite a few drownings."
Other locals also suggested that the group may have come from the nearby town of Rush, where there is a large immigrant community.
Meanwhile, local elected representatives said the case highlighted the working conditions of migrant workers, and called for an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the rescue.