MFV Armana Crew Arrive in Cape Town After Rescue

All 20 crew members of the MFV Armana fishing vessel, which caught fire at sea, safely arrived in Cape Town on Sunday night. The crew had to abandon the vessel due to a fire on board, and they were rescued by another Sea Harvest Group vessel called the MFV Ludwani. The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) confirmed that the crew arrived at the Port of Cape Town, while the search for the stricken vessel was halted after officials lost sight of it early on Monday.

The incident involving the 62-year-old MFV Armana occurred offshore from Gansbaai, where the vessel caught fire. The crew was rescued by the MFV Ludwani with assistance from the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre. Efforts were made to monitor the MFV Armana and arrange for its salvage, including deploying the MFV Harvest Saldanha and dispatching the emergency towing vessel Umkhuseli. However, the vessel was eventually lost sight of and presumed sunk.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has instructed Samsa to conduct an urgent safety inspection of all commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters. This directive comes in response to a series of incidents involving fishing vessels in the country’s waters, resulting in the loss of lives. Samsa has committed to developing a comprehensive fishing vessel safety improvement plan to prevent future incidents and ensure that vessels meet the highest safety standards, in alignment with the national priority of maritime worker safety.

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