Sunken trawler captain, crew safe

Last Updated on Tuesday, 4 August 2015, 8:35 by GxMedia

The captain and four crew members, who were aboard a cargo-laden trawler that sank off Guyana’s shore Saturday night, have been rescued and were reunited with their families, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) said in a statement.

“Three of the four crew members were rescued by a passing fishing boat on Sunday August 2^nd, 2015, while the fourth crew member was rescued sometime later and they are all now safely ashore reunited with their families,” said the regulatory and safety oversight agency.

MARAD said a probe so far has revealed that the trawler, Capt. Saif, departed at approximately 07:15 hours on Saturday August 1, 2015 from the Guyana Fertilizer Company Limited Wharf, Georgetown and was destined for Port Kaituma, Region # 1. On board were the Captain Mr. Nyshel Singh, Mr. Reid; the purser/charterer and two sailors.

During the voyage, the vessel developed a list and efforts were made to rectify the unstable vessel by the crew.

“At approximately 22:45 hours, the vessel began listing rapidly to port. The crew then jettisoned some of the cargo from the said port side, but their efforts were futile as the vessel continued listing to port and capsized, then completely over with its bottom in the air,” said MARAD in a statement.

At this early stage of the investigation, MARAD said the evidence available suggests that the vessel may have been loaded with poor stability, thus it was unstable.

A full investigation is now underway.

The owner of Capt Saif pegs his loss at US$175,000.