Panama fishing boat sinks off Chile

Spanish-owned fishing vessel sinks 1,100 nautical miles off Inquique, Chile, but the all the crew reported safe and sound.

Aquiles, a Spanish-owned fishing boat registered in Panama, sank off Inquique, the capital of Chile’s northernmost region. All the crew of the vessel is said to be rescued. Maritime officials informed that no one was injured in the shipwreck. According to the official the Panama fishing boat was sank early Friday, 12 November, after an accident some 1,100 nautical miles off Iquique, in an area where Chile is responsible for search and rescue operations.

The Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine General Administration said that an emergency call about the sinking was received early Friday at the National Maritime Authority's Search and Rescue Center. The government agency also explained that maritime officials confirmed the emergency and established contact with the factory ship Tusapesca, which was near the stricken fishing boat and rescued its crew.

According to the maritime official the fishing boat’s crew is being taken to the Peruvian port of Callao. The boat's captain told that his vessel began taking on water over the stern during an operation to clear out waste. It is said that a Chilean navy Orion plane flew over the area where the fishing boat sank in an effort to spot the crew and check for possible pollution from fuel leaks. Thereafter, the authority has placed a beacon to warn other ships that there was a sunken vessel in the area.

Source: laht.com"

WorldFishingToday d. 15-12-2008