Crew rescued after Taiwanese fishing vessel sinks in Indian Ocean

Taiwan News reports that all 16 crewmembers of a Taiwanese fishing vessel have been safely rescued after their vessel sank in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa on Tuesday, September 12.

The incident occurred at around 09:00 local time on Tuesday when the 100-tonne tuna longliner Der Hae No 66 encountered rough seas and began taking on water some 593 kilometres from Durban.

The captain requested assistance from another vessel from the same owner’s fleet. However, this second vessel was more than 185 kilometres away and was therefore unable to divert to the area in time.

The crew boarded lifeboats as their vessel continued to sink.

Der Hae No 66‘s owner contacted the the Taiwan Deepsea Tuna Longline Boatowners and Exporters Association to advise on the condition of the distressed vessel.

The association then instructed the crew of Jian Lih No 212, another Taiwanese vessel, to head to the area. Jian Lih No 212 eventually arrived near Der Hae No 66‘s last reported position to conduct rescue operations.

All 16 of Der Hae No 66‘s crew were then pulled safely out of the water by 07:00 on Wednesday, September 13.

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