Fire on South African Fishing Vessel, Crew Evacuated

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has confirmed that a fishing vessel, the 62-year-old Armana, experienced a serious shipboard fire off Gansbaai on Sunday. The crew had to abandon ship as they believed it was sinking. Luckily, all 20 crew members were rescued by another vessel in the same operator’s fleet, the Ludwani. The Armana is currently adrift and on fire at the same position, with the vessel Harvest Saldanha monitoring the situation. SAMSA has instructed the vessel’s owner, Viking Fishing Company, to arrange for a salvor to tow the vessel to a place of refuge.

In a tragic turn of events, the Armana had previously rescued nine survivors from the sinking of the 63-year-old trawler Lepanto, which resulted in the loss of 11 lives in May 2024. Following this latest incident, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy has instructed SAMSA to conduct an urgent safety inspection of all commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters. Minister Creecy emphasized the importance of preventing future incidents and ensuring that vessels meet the highest safety standards to protect maritime workers.

SAMSA has been tasked with developing a fishing vessel safety improvement plan to address the recent string of incidents that have resulted in the loss of 18 lives this year alone. Minister Creecy stressed that the safety of maritime workers is a national priority, and measures must be taken to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The authorities are working diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of those working in the maritime industry.

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