On Friday, 14 April, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), along with other rescue organizations kept a watchful eye on an unmanned support vessel from Hout Bay that caught fire in the early hours of that morning.
Also read: Video: NSRI assists 26 crew from a vessel on fire off Cape Point
The ship was abandoned by 26 Hout Bay fishermen who were rescued by the crew of the fishing vessel Umfondini, about 8 nautical miles south of Cape Point. The Umfondini crew was praised for their successful rescue, while the casualty crew was also commended for abandoning the burning vessel safely into life rafts in rough seas.
At 5.30pm on Friday, the NSRI Hout Bay and NSRI Kommetjie duty crews were activated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to respond to the casualty vessel off-shore of Scarborough and attempt to hold her off-shore until the tug boat Strandloper arrived.
The vessel was still smouldering and was drifting in a North Westerly direction, at risk of running aground near Scarborough, south of Kommetjie. Strandloper was dispatched by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) to tow the vessel and arrived at 8pm that evening.
The NSRI Hout Bay rescue craft Nadine Gordimer and the NSRI Kommetjie rescue craft Spirit of the Vines were deployed, and NSRI rescue swimmers were able to rig a towline to the vessel from the Nadine Gordimer.
The casualty vessel was gently towed away from land using sea currents and held off-shore until Strandloper arrived. The towline was then transferred to Strandloper, which towed the casualty vessel to deep sea until Saturday when the vessel was moored at a berth on the seaside of Hout Bay Harbour pier.
Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services worked on putting out the smouldering vessel, while a WC Government Health EMS ambulance was on-site.
No injuries were reported, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, and a salvage company set up barriers around the vessel to prevent any pollution spills, but there have been no signs of any oil or diesel leakage, spills, or outfall.
The owners of the casualty vessel have appointed salvors to assess salvage options. All parties involved were commended for their efforts in preventing any environmental damage.
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Picture: National Sea Rescue Institute