62 Rescued from Remote South Atlantic Island After Research Vessel Sinks

Crew members of the MFV Geo Researcher arrive on the SA Agulhas II by helicopter. 

All sixty-two people who aboard a Belize-registered research vessel when it sank last week in the remote South Atlantic Ocean are on now their way home safely, the South African Maritime Safety Authority has reported.

The sixty-two are crew members of the vessel Geo Searcher, which struck rocks and sank about mile from Gough Island on October 15. SAMSA dispatched the SA Agulhas II to rescue the stranded seafarers, most of whom were South Africans.

SAMSA said the seafarers were rescued by helicopter from Gough Island.

The SA Agulhas II is now heading to Tristan Da Cunha before continuing to Cape Town, according to SAMSA.

“Arrival in Cape Town will be dependent on weather conditions that may affect the sailing time. All indications are that it will take approximately 4 to 5 days before the vessel arrives in Cape Town.” said SAMSA.

The 1,848 gross tonne MFV Geo Searcher was built in 1982, according to MarineTraffic.com data.

Located about 1,700 miles west of Cape Town, Gough Island is a small and rugged volcanic island in the Tristan da Cunha island grouping in the South Atlantic Ocean.

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