COBRA

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Resources for dry dock check covered

The National Prosecutor's Office has authorized the Prosecutor's Office to finance this service of taking the 'Cobra' to dry dock and, together with the Investigative Police and their experts, to conduct a series of studies of the vessel's operation and of evidence that may still be there, in order to advance investigative conclusions that are fundamental to this investigation. The hearing will take place on May 2 and will last 24 hours. For his part, the 'Blumar's lawyer, Alejandro Espinoza, stated that a request has been submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office to have the 'Cobra' taken to a dry dock at the company's expense so that all necessary forensic examinations can be carried out and any doubts surrounding the incident can be cleared up. Initial accounts from the ship's crew indicated that they heard nothing on the day of the accident (March 30), and later, some crew members said they heard a noise attributed to an internal door.

Cobra was close to Bruma at the time of the last signal

if it is definitively confirmed that the 'Bruma' and 'Cobra' collided, that does not mean establishing liability for this accident on the part of the 'Cobra' crew, stated their lawyer. Alejandro Espinoza. He told the Biobío Prosecutor's Office that they could have been involved in the accident off the coast of Coronel. The lawyer specified that the 'Cobra' was positioned in an area similar to the 'Bruma' at the same time it stopped transmitting, following a georeferencing report prepared by the Cunlogan company. The document showed that the last signal emitted by the 'Bruma' was at 3:08 a.m. and that the signal it was supposed to send at 3:17 a.m. never materialized, so the shipwreck could have occurred during that time. At that moment, the 'Cobra' was 72 meters from the boat's last reported position. Based on this information, there was no certainty, but a reasonable presumption of an impact between the two ships, though all of the 'Cobra's collision avoidance equipment was activated and operational, and the captain, pilot, and lookouts were attentive to the navigation conditions. The lawyer also referred to the 'Bruma's potential responsibility in the sinking, as the crew had failed to inform maritime authorities and other vessels in the area of ​​its position. The Public Prosecutor's Office's investigation must technically analyse whether both vessels had the operating systems required by regulations and whether their crews acted in accordance with the obligations imposed by navigation regulations. The 'Cobra's detention period will end on April 23, but the prosecutor in charge of the case, Marcela Cartagena, has requested an extension to conduct additional expert examinations. However, he acknowledged that the resources available at the police level are insufficient to cover the needs of a case of this magnitude, so the possibility of requesting support from specialized external entities is being evaluated. The National Prosecutor's Office is assessing budget availability.

Cobra to be investigated in dry dock

In an effort to clarify the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the 'Bruma', the families of the missing fishermen have united to take decisive action. Following a meeting with Regional Prosecutor Marcela Cartagena, some doubts have been cleared up and important steps have been taken in the investigation. One of the major developments has been the confirmation that forensic divers from the Underwater Operations Department of the Investigative Police (PDI) have conducted expert examinations on the 'Cobra', which remained in the custody of the San Vicente Harbor Master's Office. These examinations were carried out in response to videos, which showed suspicious movements on the vessel under investigation for its alleged involvement in the sinking of the 'Bruma'. In addition to the investigations carried out by the PDI, the fishermen's families have decided to take additional measures. According to Rafael Poblete, the attorney representing them, they have hired a team of private experts to further clarify what happened in the early hours of March 30. This team is composed of a maritime accident investigation specialist, a shipbuilding engineer, and a mechanic. Poblete also addressed the hypothesis put forward by Blumar, owner of the 'Cobra', regarding the possible involvement of another vessel in the tragedy. However, the attorney ruled out this theory based on the traces found on the fishing vessel. At the meeting with Prosecutor Cartagena, the family members also agreed to hold weekly meetings to stay informed about the progress of the investigation. They also reiterated their request that the expert examinations of the 'Cobra' be conducted in a dry dock, in order to obtain more reliable and exhaustive results.The families of the fishermen will return to Constitución, but will closely monitor the progress of the investigation to find answers to this tragic loss.