A rescue operation was under way to evacuate 15 seafarers from an offshore supply vessel OSV that is on fire in the southern Cape waters, the South African Maritime Safety Authority Samsa said on Thursday.
By late afternoon on Thursday, September 12, seven crew members had been safely evacuated to George, with eight remaining at the FA Platform overnight, Samsa said. All crew members are reported to be in good health and safe.
The vessel, identified as the AM Pride , a 66.6-metre-long and 16-metre-wide supply ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, is located approximately 48.5 nautical miles south of Mossel Bay, Western Cape. It is reportedly drifting in a north-westerly direction.
Weather conditions in the area have been described as severe, with south-easterly winds gusting up to 30 knots, swells of 3.5 to five metres, and limited visibility of seven nautical miles, the maritime safety authority said.
Its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre MRCC received a distress call from the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa PetroSA alerting it to the fire early on Thursday morning
PetroSA reported that the AM Pride was on fire near the FA Platform, with the fire located in the ships galley and spreading uncontrollably. In response, the MRCC immediately issued a Mayday relay via Telkom Maritime Services, calling on vessels in the vicinity to provide assistance, Samsa said.
Two vessels, Angelic Peace and Thunderbird , were dispatched to the scene, and a PetroSA helicopter assisted with the evacuation. The helicopter, which can winch up to four crew members at a time, first transferred the seafarers to the nearby FA Platform, approximately three nautical miles from the stricken vessel.
Additionally, the Cape Town-based Emergency Tug Vessel ETV Umkhuseli has been dispatched to the scene and the National Sea Rescue Institute in Mossel Bay was placed on standby, Samsa said.
It is closely monitoring the situation and has convened a meeting of the Incident Management Organisation to ensure effective incident management.
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