21 Fishermen Rescued After Fishing Vessel Catches Fire Off South Africa

All 21 fishermen onboard a local fishing vessel were rescued safely after a fire broke out on the vessel off the coast of Gqeberha on Monday evening.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said its Gqeberha duty crew was alerted at 17:52 on Monday, January 12, after a member of the public reported seeing a fishing vessel on fire about one nautical mile offshore of Noordhoek.

At the same time, maritime authorities monitoring radio communications intercepted a Mayday distress call on VHF marine Channel 16 from the fishing vessel Silver Dorado, reporting a fire onboard and that all 21 crew members were preparing to abandon the vessel.

NSRI crews were immediately mobilised to respond from Station 6, while shore teams were sent directly to Noordhoek. Rescue craft Bay Guardian and Rescue 6 Alpha were launched.

Eastern Cape Government Health EMS, the South African Police Service, Transnet National Ports Authority Port Control at the Port of Port Elizabeth, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre were all alerted.

Telkom Maritime Radio Services broadcast an all-ships alert on VHF Channel 16, asking vessels in the area to assist. Several fishing vessels nearby responded to the distress call and headed towards the burning vessel.

The fishing vessel Legugu was one of the first to arrive and launched its own life raft to assist crew members who had entered the water near the burning vessel. By this stage, all 21 fishermen had abandoned the vessel into the sea.

NSRI reported that Legugu rescued 12 fishermen from the water and from a life raft. The fishing vessel Raka rescued four crew members, Maverick rescued another four, and Vulcan rescued one fisherman.

All 21 crew members were accounted for and reported to be safe.

When NSRI rescue craft arrived, all survivors were already onboard four fishing vessels. The fishermen were transferred onto NSRI’s rescue craft Bay Guardian, with the transfers carried out in stages by Rescue 6 Alpha. They were then taken to the NSRI rescue base at the Port of Port Elizabeth.

All 21 men were medically assessed by EMS paramedics at the rescue base and were confirmed to have no injuries and to require no further medical treatment. NSRI said all crew members are believed to be South African.

The burning fishing vessel continued to drift towards Cape Recife. NSRI’s rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha monitored the vessel’s movement and speed on behalf of SAMSA. Authorities later confirmed that the vessel was near a reef close to Cape Recife and was still on fire.

SAMSA has said that the vessel’s owners have appointed a salvage and spill response company. However, efforts to reach the vessel were limited due to the dangerous reef and darkness during the night, and monitoring of the situation is ongoing.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and will be investigated by SAMSA along with the South African Police Service. Telkom Maritime Radio Services has issued navigational warnings to alert vessels to the hazard at sea.

NSRI added that the fishing vessel had left the Port of Port Elizabeth earlier and was heading towards fishing grounds when the fire started.

Reference: NSRI

Source: Maritime Shipping News