Evidence is being gathered by the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources on a vessel it thinks was responsible for the collision with an Irish trawler last Sunday morning on the Irish Sea.
An unknown cargo vessel struck the trawler, Renegade, shortly before 1.30 a.m. inflicting serious damage which almost caused the boat to sink.
The quick response of another Irish trawler fishing in the area, the Mellifont, which assisted the ship's crew, prevented a tragedy, the ship's owner said.
The Department refused to disclose the nationality of the vessel or its name because it might prejudice any future legal action. A spokesman also declined to state where the ship was travelling to.
"The Department is pursuing this lead and if sufficient evidence is gathered to support this allegation we will take the matter up with the relevant state authorities," said the Minister, Dr Woods.
Information from a source other than the crew helped identify the vessel, said the spokesman. He added that the Department would be contacting crew from vessels in the area at the time.
Dr Woods said if the evidence was conclusive the matter would be taken up under the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea with the state where the vessel was registered.
A surveyor from the Marine Survey Office of the Department examined the Irish fishing vessel and interviewed crew members at Howth yesterday.
The British Marine Accidents Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it was not investigating the incident because it did not involve any British vessels. However, it said the incident occurred in its search-and-rescue area and any relevant information would be passed to the Irish authorities.