The casualty fishing vessel, MFV Armana photographed while drifting after it was abandoned by its 20 member crew on discovery of fire on board on Sunday and before it vanished during the early hours of Monday morning in an ocean location some 57 nautical miles south of Gansbaai in South Africa’s Western Cape province. (Photo: Supplied)
Twenty crew members of the MFV Armana were safely rescued after their fishing vessel caught fire off the coast of South Africa.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) confirmed the successful rescue operation, which unfolded on Sunday, October 13.
The 62-year-old vessel encountered trouble approximately 60 nautical miles offshore from Gansbaai when a fire broke out onboard early Sunday morning. The crew was forced to abandon ship, initiating a swift rescue response coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) at the SAMSA Centre for Sea Watch and Response in Cape Town.
The MFV Ludwani, another vessel belonging to the Sea Harvest Group, was mobilized for the rescue operation. All 20 crew members were safely transported to Cape Town, arriving at 19:45 local time on Sunday night.
“The South African Maritime Safety Authority herewith confirms the safe arrival and disembarkation of all 20 crew members of the abandoned fishing vessel, MFV Armana, at the port of Cape Town last night,” a SAMSA spokesperson stated.
Following the rescue, efforts were made to salvage the MFV Armana. The MFV Harvest Saldanha was deployed for monitoring, and the Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Umkhuseli was dispatched to tow the stricken vessel to safety. However, sight of the vessel was lost in the early Monday morning.
Despite an extensive search operation, the MFV Armana could not be located. SAMSA officially called off the search at 13:00 on Monday, presuming the vessel had sunk. A safety navigational warning has been issued to all vessels in the vicinity of the last known position of the MFV Armana.
In response to this incident, the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has directed SAMSA to conduct urgent safety inspections of all commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, with SAMSA committed to developing a comprehensive fishing vessel safety improvement plan in collaboration with industry stakeholders.
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