Ship in distress off South Africa’s rockiest coastline
Posted by ashertrix , Sunday, May 23, 2010 7:48 PM
East London - South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) says there is a ship in distress off the country’s Eastern Cape coast.
Two South African Air Force (SAAF) helicopters and an NSRI rescue craft were been sent on Tuesday to give aid to the ship. Independent Online says the vessel is likely 10 nautical miles offshore from a tourist destination, Hole in the Wall. The ship fired a red distress flare. NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon said in a statement:
NSRI East London have launched their rescue craft and two Oryx helicopters from the SA Air Force in Durban are en-route to investigate.
The report quoted eyewitnesses who said the ship was drifting towards Coffee Bay on the same coast. The Eastern Cape coast has some of the rockiest coastal features in Southern Africa, with rocky bays and submerged rocks. It was on this coast that the worst sea disaster in South Africa’s recent history took place, with the sinking of the MVS Oceanos, an ocean liner, in 1991. The South African Navy and the SAAF succeeded in rescuing all 571 people on board.
Posted in
Post a Comment