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Ashore at Órzola

Ashore at Órzola

Ashore at Órzola
Photo: lavozdelanzarote.com

On the morning of September 10, a fishing vessel (Moroccan flagged; name not disclosed) ran aground on the Atlantic Ocean off the island of Lanzarote, Canary islands.  The tuna boat had sailing off the coast of the island near the town of Órzola when it ran aground on the rocky shoreline.

Witnesses alerted authorities which arrived on site and found all five crew were stable.  Local firefighters assisted all five crew to evacuate the vessel safely to shore. Reports state the crew of the fishing vessel had not eaten a meal for four days. Two crew were taken to hospital for treatment for hypothermia.

Authorities were investigating the incident to determine the circumstances. There is some speculation the fishing vessel was stolen or the crew had not been paid by the owners. It wasn’t clear if the tuna boat had accidently grounded on the Canary Islands by chance or if was intentional.

Reports stated the tuna vessel had later caught fire. Authorities stated they were looking a way to dispose of the vessel with minimal environmental impact.

Awadi

Awadi

Awadi
Photo: cope.es

On the afternoon of September 1, the 49 meter long fishing vessel Awadi (IMO: 7922283) caught fire on the Ria de Arousa while berthed in Ribeira, Spain. The fire was ignited by a spark from welders doing some maintenance work on the vessel.  As the fire quickly spread through the Awadi, the 2 crew on board were able to safely evacuate to shore. By the time the local fire brigade arrived on site, the vessel was enveloped in a large cloud of smoke.  Fire fighters from shore assisted by patrol vessels sprayed water on the fishing vessel, but reaching the flames below deck was difficult.

Fire fighting continued through the next day.  Due to the amount of water used, the Awadi developed a strong list to starboard.  Additional dewatering pumps were deployed to avoid the fishing vessel from rolling over and sinking. Reports state the fire fighting efforts allowed them to gain access to the interior of the vessel on September 2.  Authorities reported the vessel was severely gutted by the flames and it would take additional days before the entire fire would be extinguished.  Containment booms were placed around the vessel to contain any pollution released from the incident.  The extent of damage has not been released. There were no injuries reported.

A Fervenza

A Fervenza

A Fervenza
Photo: farodevigo.es

On the morning of August 29, the 10 meter long fishing vessel A Fervenza (MMSI: 224329790) sank in,  the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Vilán, Spain. The A Fervenza was fishing north of Cape Vilán when it sprung a leak.  The water ingress could not be controlled causing the fishing vessel to lose stability and capsized.

Salvamar Altair

The Salvamento Marítimo was alerted by the vessel’s emergency beacon . They notified nearby fishing vessels in the area to assist while dispatching a helicopter and the 21 meter long rescue vessel Salvamar Altair (MMSI: 224013350) to the scene. The vessel Zeus was nearby and rescued all  2 survivors. By the time the Salvamar Altair reached the area, the A Fervenza had completely sunk. The crew of the A Fervenza were transferred to the Salvamar Altair who took them to Camariñas. No reports of injuries. Authorities stated there had been some pollution and debris found where the A Fervenza sank.