MFV LEPANTO

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Marine court of enquiry to establish the cause of the sinking

The Department of Transport (DoT) will set up a marine court of enquiry to establish the cause of the sinking of the 'Lepanto', after the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) earlier submitted a draft report to Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, and Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, calling for a court of enquiry to be established. The Samsa draft report was scheduled to be finalised and released before the end of the year with its legal team. The department was instructed to begin a process of establishing a marine court of enquiry to further pursue an investigation and bring the report to finality. When the ship sank on May 17, 11 crew members were believed to have remained trapped onboard. The vessel sank rapidly, within about five minutes after a sudden heavy listing. Nine crew members were rescued.

Report into sinking expected by the end of the year

The South African Transport Minister Barbara Creecy intends to release a report into the loss of the MFV 'Lepanto' on May 17, 2024, 34 nautical miles off the coast of Hout Bay, by the end of the year, which killed 11 men. Creecy sreceived a draft report into the accident from the South African Maritime Authority (Samsa) on Nov 10. The minister has requested the Samsa board to urgently finalise the report with its legal team. She has also instructed the Transport Department to begin a process of establishing a Marine Court of Enquiry to further pursue an investigation and bring the report to finality. The minister feels a deeper investigation is needed, in the interest of the public. The 11 missing crew members have since been declared dead by the Western Cape High Court. At the time of their disappearance, the missing crew members were employed by Viking Fishing, a division of Sea Harvest Corporation. The search for the fishermen was called off due to the time that had elapsed since the boat sank. The ship sank a depth of 350 meters, and the bodies of the fishermen were never recovered. A comprehensive investigation had been launched by the SAMSA after the sinking, and a preliminary inquiry into the incident could take between six and eight months to complete. Due to the nature of the incident and the loss of life, one recommendation would be to request the ransport minister to constitute a court of marine enquiry under Section 266 of the Merchant Shipping Act of 1951.