Pretoria: 26 March 2024
A sea search for a group of six (6) people reportedly lost at sea since Saturday was concluded after they were successfully rescued on Monday evening, the South African Maritime Safety Authority announced on Tuesday.
According to the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) at SAMSA’s Cape Town based Centre for Sea Watch & Response, the survivors were found and rescued during a search operation involving Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) vessels, the research vessel ELLEN KHUZWAYO and in-shore patrol vessel RUTH FIRST, late on Monday.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Simonstown assisted with the transfer of the survivors and their craft from the rescue vessel, the Ellen Khuzwayo, and they were taken to the SAN Simons Town Naval Base on Tuesday.
According to the MRCC Cape Town, the group had gone missing after their rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) ran out fuel and were left drifting at sea in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday at approximately 100km west off Cape Point.
Search and Rescue efforts continued from Sunday afternoon, when the MRCC was notified of the overdue craft, until the successful outcome on Monday. The DDFE vessels RUTH FIRST and ELLEN KHUZWAYO were provided with Search Patterns to cover the Search Area of approximately 6,296.8 km2.
“In an extensive search and rescue operation involving multiple resources, since Sunday reaching in excess of 80 nautical miles south-east of Cape Point, the research vessel, ELLEN KHUZWAYO; located and recovered the six (6) missing fishermen deep sea off Cape Point.
“They are reportedly all in good health and not injured. NSRI Simonstown rescue craft was launched around 10h00 today (local time) and escort them on their last leg to Simonstown naval base.
“The support and efforts of the maritime community as well as the extensive search carried out by DFFE l vessels Ellen Khuzwayo and Ruth First who extensively searched a plotted search grid taking sea drift, wind speeds and direction into account, by MRCC SAR Coordinator and Duty Team, is commended in the successful rescue operation.”
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