Fire reports are full moon

National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) duty controllers received multiple eyewitness accounts that a ship appeared to have exploded and was ablaze off the South Coast on Sunday.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Transnet National Ports Authority and Telkom Maritime Radio Services were alerted and confirmed that no ships were at sea at the time in that area.

NSRI coast watchers and shore crew got visuals of what the eyewitnesses were reporting, and it was confirmed that the full moon rising over the horizon had given the impression of an explosion and a fire at sea.

On the same day, at about 4.27pm, NSRI Port Edward duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a commercial fishing boat reporting that they were standing by at a fellow fishing boat which had engine failure, with nine crew onboard off the Transkei coast, 14 nautical miles from Port Edward.

The funtioning boat had taken four of the nine crew off the affected fishing boat and was accompanying it to Port Edward with five crew remaining onboard.

Medi-Vac Ambulance Service had responded to Port Edward sea rescue base to assist with their rescue craft God’s Grace and NSRI Shelly Beach dispatched an NSRI coxswain to help. God’s Grace stood by ready to launch if required.

NSRI Port Edward duty crew launched the sea rescue craft jetrib Sea Ranger 3.

“The casualty boat, with her reduced crew on board, was able to limp to the backline offshore of Port Edward where Sea Ranger 3 met up with them.

“In two relays, two casualty crew at a time were taken off the casualty boat and brought to shore through the 2-2.5m breaking swells,” said NSRI Port Edward duty coxswain, John Nicholas.

The fellow commercial fishing boat beached without incident along with the four crew that they had taken off the casualty boat.

The casualty boat was able to negotiate through the swells and beached safely with only the skipper remaining on the boat.

NSRI commended the commercial fishing boat, Jabulani, that assisted the casualty boat in this operation and Medi-Vac ambulance service for standing by to assist with the rescue craft God’s Grace.

– Caxton News Service

In two relays, two casualty crew at a time were taken off the casualty boat and brought to shore through the 2-2.5m breaking swells.

John Nicholas MSRI duty coxswain