AMBER

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Disabled guard ship towed to port

On Sep 28, 2015, at 4.32 p.m. the NSRI Port Alfred duty crew was activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) reporting the "Rambler" sailing from Madagascar to Cape Town, was suffering mechanical motor failure, had gone adrift at sea and dragging her anchor and was threatened to run aground within hours off Port Alfred. The NSRI Port Alfred launched the "Lotto Challenger", and on arrival on-scene, five nautical miles east of Port Alfred, 1,5 miles off-shore, in three meter swells and a 20 knot SW wind, it was estimated that with the current drift the "Rambler" would run aground in about two hours. The lifeboat went on standby, and the TNPA tug "Shiraz" was dispatched from Port Elizabeth, with an NSRI Port Elizabeth rescue swimmer onboard as a precaution, but were only due to arrive on the scene at around 1 a.m. the "Rambler" crew was working to re-start the engine all day. Finally their efforts were successful and they were able to steam further out to sea without external assistance. The lifeboat stayed with them until they were in a fair distance offshore and then left them to return to Port Alfred harbour, while remaining on alert, and later in the evening returned to the actual position nautical miles off the Kowie River Mouth. The lifeboat remained with them for a while and after they were deemed to be safe, and no longer in any imminent danger of running aground, we returned to base and remained on alert until the "Shiraz" arrived on the scene on Sep 29 at 2 a.m. It towed the "Rambler" safely to the Port of Port Elizabeth, arriving there at 7 p.m. Report with photo: http://www.nsri.org.za/2015/09/boat-prevented-from-running-aground/