The Department of Transport DoT has announced the establishment of a marine court of enquiry to thoroughly investigate the causes behind the sinking of the Cape Town-based commercial fishing vessel, the FV Lepanto , which tragically claimed the lives of 11 crew members earlier this year, Cape town Etc reports.
The enquiry will seek to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred on 17 May 2024, when the vessel sank rapidly about 30 nautical miles off the coast of Hout Bay.
According to Colleen Msibi, a spokesperson for the DoT, the enquiry follows the submission of a draft preliminary report from the South African Maritime Safety Authority SAMSA to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa in early November 2024.
This report is expected to be finalised and released before the end of the year. The FV Lepanto , a 38.6-metre-long vessel that was 63 years old, sank within five minutes after experiencing a sudden, severe list. Tragically, 11 crew members were believed to have been trapped on board, and their bodies have not been recovered.
On the day of the incident, the FV Armana , a sister ship to the FV Lepanto , was the first responder, issuing a mayday call and successfully rescuing the nine surviving crew members. The FV Armana had already been involved in a similar rescue mission when, five months later, it too faced a disaster.
