Fire Aboard South African Fishing Vessel Forces Crew to Abandon Ship

The crew of the Ludwani rescue survivors from the fire aboard Armana (SAMSA)

Published Oct 13, 2024 4:03 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has confirmed that an aging fishing vessel had a serious shipboard fire off Gansbaai on Sunday, forcing the crew to abandon ship.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the 62-year-old fishing vessel Armana sustained a fire at a position about 60 nautical miles off Gansbaai, a town southeast of Cape Town. The crew initially believed that the vessel was sinking, and they successfully abandoned ship to escape the fire. All 20 crewmembers survived and were rescued by another vessel in the same operator's fleet, the fishing vessel Ludwani. The Good Samaritan vessel is on schedule to arrive at the pier at about 2000 hours local time and will be met at the dock by the authorities. 

The Armana remained afloat, and it is currently adrift and on fire at about the same position. A third vessel from the same fleet, Harvest Saldanha, remains on scene to monitor the disabled Armana; the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has instructed owner Viking Fishing Company (a subsidiary of Sea Harvest) to arrange for a salvor and tow the vessel to an appropriate place of refuge. 

Another vessel in the same operator's fleet, the 63-year-old trawler Lepanto, sank with the loss of 11 lives in May 2024. The Armana - now abandoned and adrift herself - found and rescued the nine survivors of Lepanto's sinking.

Call for safety review

Immediately after the fire, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy instructed SAMSA to conduct an urgent safety inspection of all commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters. 

"This year alone, we have witnessed no fewer than five significant incidents, tragically resulting in the loss of 18 lives," said Minister Creecy. "SAMSA has . . . been instructed to develop a fishing vessel safety improvement plan aimed at preventing future incidents and ensuring that vessels operating in our waters meet the highest safety standards. The safety of maritime workers is a matter of national priority."