VUNA IMBONGI

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Course/Position

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Trawler grounded in Mossel Bay

On July 27, 2018, at 5.45 p.m. the NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew was activated following a request for assistance from the "Vuna Imbongi" reporting to be grounding at Dias Beach with seven crew members onboard. The sea rescue craft "Rescue 15" and "St Blaze Rescuer" were launched, and an NSRI rescue vehicle responded too, On arrival on the scene the trawler was found in shallow surf beached at Dias Beach in calm seas. To prevent the trawler from tipping over a tow-line was rigged and we held the trawler in the surf, preventing her from drifting closer to the beach, pending the arrival of a Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) tug boat activated to try to pull the trawler off the shallow sand. NSRI rescue swimmers were put aboard the trawler and all crew of the casualty trawler were found safe and unharmed. Prior to the arrival of the TNPA tug, in a rising spring tide, our NSRI sea rescue craft was able to pull the trawler out to sea to deeper water and once in deep water the towline was released and the trawler continued on her way and no further assistance was required. The SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) was investigating the cause of the trawler running aground. Report with photo: http://www.nsri.org.za/2018/07/spring-tide-alert-trawler-aground-mossel-bay-medical-assistance-port-edward/