The crew of the containership MSC Hannah III rescued all 10 sailors from a cargo ship that sank approximately 90 nautical miles west of Paphos, Cyprus, on the evening (local time) of Friday, October 30.
The Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) said it was alerted at 20:15 that the Tanzanian-flagged vessel AS Dream was sinking within the Republic of Cyprus Search and Rescue Region.
Turkish media identified the sunken ship as Antepli, a general cargo vessel owned by a Turkish company, and listed AS Dream among its former names. Earlier names given were Kıvanç, Susanna I and Susanna.
The ship’s crew comprised nine Indian nationals and one Cameroonian national. The cause of the sinking remains unknown.
The JRCC mobilised a search and rescue (SAR) helicopter from the Cyprus National Guard, the National Guard Naval Command patrol vessel CNS Ammochostos, and the Port and Marine Police rescue boat Pentadaktylos. It also deployed the Panamanian-flagged MSC Hannah III, which was in the area.
Under the coordination of JRCC Larnaca, MSC Hannah III took all 10 crew aboard. They were then transferred to Pentadaktylos, which carried them to Limassol Port.
The containership had been sailing from Italy to Lebanon when it was called upon to assist in the SAR effort.
The JRCC said paramedics reported that all the rescued crew were in good health upon arrival. The crew were subsequently placed in the care of the competent state authorities.
The relevant embassies have also received notice via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
