On November 30, the 45 meter long fishing vessel Stefnir collided with an iceberg near Dýrafirði, Iceland. The trawler was in shallow water when it struck the iceberg head-on. The Stefnir suffered dents above the water and parts of the iceberg fell onto the vessel’s desk. No reports of injuries or pollution released. The Stefnir returned to Ísafjarðar to be inspected.
The 24 meter long, 191 gt fishing vessel Mar da Galega caught fire off Penuche, Portugal. The Mar da Galega was fishing for mackerel and hake when the crew were alerted to a fire in the engine room. The crew sealed off the compartment to contain the blaze and turned on the fire suppression system, but the system was unable to extinguish the blaze. The Mar da Galega requested assistance with several vessels coming to her aid. The fishing vessel was taken under tow to Peniche where the fire was finally extinguished. No reports of injuries to the six crew on board or pollution released.
On November 26, the 29 meter long fishing vessel Baratz became disabled and sank off Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The crayfish boat had suffered engine failure and water ingress in heavy seas with winds reaching 20 knots and swells reaching 5 meters. The Baratz requested assistance with it’s sister ship, Helena Marie coming to her aid. The Helena Marie attempted to tow the Baratz back to port, but the Baratz flooding caused the vessel to list. The 25 crew on board were forced to abandoned ship into the fishing vessel’s two life rafts before the Baratz sank. The NSRI dispatched a lifeboat which was joined by two helicopters to the scene. All 25 crew were later rescued. No reports of injuries. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
