Crew rescued from sinking ship

2008-07-08 19:13

Johannesburg - Thirty six crew members were rescued after a Spanish fishing vessel caught fire and sank off the east coast of southern Africa, the Cape Town Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) said on Tuesday.

The Durban-based fishing vessel, Galaxy, rescued the crew. It was assisted by the Niko Maru No 1 from Walvis Bay.

The centre said it received a call from the MRCC in Falmouth in the United Kingdom at 03:00 on Tuesday, saying there had been a satellite distress alert from the Galaecia, which was about 872 nautical miles east of East London.

A few minutes later the MRCC Madrid also detected a distress beacon from the vessel.

The MRCC in Reunion then heard via radio from the crew that the vessel was on fire.

"By this stage the vessel was 17 nautical miles inside Reunion's international waters," said the MRCC Cape Town.

Just before 03:30 the MRCC Cape Town they found out the crew were abandoning the burning ship and boarding life-rafts.

Another Spanish fishing vessel, Valencia, was assisting them.

MRCC Cape Town helped MRCC Reunion make radio contact with the Valencia through Cape Town Radio which obtained a satellite phone number from the ship.

The MRCC Cape Town was then asked by the Reunion branch to initiate a Mayday relay broadcast to ask all vessels in the area to help the sinking Galaecia.

Durban-based fishing vessel, the Galaxy, and the Niko Maru No1 from Walvis Bay went to assist.

MRCC Madrid informed the Cape Town branch that Galaxy rescued the crew of 36.

"The Galaecia was still burning and slowly began to sink."

- SAPA