Boats drift after being untied by man
In what is believed to have been a malicious attempt to damage fishing boats at the Port Elizabeth harbour, three boats were untied by an unidentified man, causing them to drift off and run aground.
Reasons for the incident are unknown at this stage.
The Port Elizabeth National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), while returning from a rescue mission, spotted the boats at about 1am on Sunday.
One was against the rocks and two on a sandbank.
NSRI station commander Ian Gray said the crew had just returned from rescuing a crewman on a bulk carrier who had needed medical attention.
“No serious damage was found to the fishing boats and they simply gently drifted away from their moorings and lightly grounded on the beach south of the Port Elizabeth Angling Club,” he said.
“On further investigation, it was found that all of the boats were not manned. One of the boats was, however, found close to the rocks and boulders inside the harbour.
“All the boats were assessed and luckily only slight damage was found.
“The boats were then towed . . . back to the quay where they were tied up.”
Gray said that while the boats were being reattached, another five were seen swinging against the quay.
“Four of the ropes had been unattached on all the boats, leaving only one rope attaching [each of] the boats to the quay.
“We secured these boats as well before they drifted off or hit against the wall or another vessel.
“The owners were alerted straight away and arrived to assist with recovering their boats.”
Gray said that if the wind had been stronger the consequences could have been far worse.
“These boats could have drifted into other yachts or skiboats.
“The damage could have been huge. This would have also led to a lot of pollution and even to the boats sinking.”
Gray said that there was footage of someone untying the boats.
“In all my years, I have never seen anyone do such a thing. If we did not see these boats simply floating off, it could have ended very differently.
“Why someone would do such a thing, I do not know. It is blatantly malicious,” he said.
About the earlier rescue mission, Gray said they had transported a fisherman who was in need of medical assistance to hospital.
A probe is under way by Transnet to ascertain how the boat incident happened.
Port Elizabeth harbour master Captain Brynn Adamson confirmed that the incident was under investigation.