The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) has confirmed the sinking of a fishing vessel, the Ankoveld, off the west coast of the Western Cape near Saldanha Bay and the successful rescue of its 10-member crew early on Saturday morning.
According to the Samsa Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) in Cape Town, the vessel’s skipper - who was among the 10 rescued crew - confirmed that the Ankoveld had experienced difficulties after it had begun to take water in the engine room, after which it capsized and sank.
The MRCC immediately mobilised a vessel nearest the incident, the Atlantic Leader, which successfully rescued the sunken fishing vessel’s crew who had already abandoned ship to life rafts. They have since landed safely at Laaiplek harbour
Samsa officials in Saldanha Bay were on the case to conduct an investigation into the incident.
