Containership assists in rescue of two castaways off Cadiz, Spain

Spain’s Salvamento Maritimo search and rescue (SAR) agency and a Good Samaritan commercial vessel came to the aid of two people whose boat had gone adrift in the waters off Cadiz on Thursday, May 27.

The rescuers said the castaways had sailed out from La Caleta in Cadiz on board a two-metre skiff. However, strong easterly winds blew their boat further away from the coast, making them unable to return to shore on their own.

The two boaters were eventually sighted in the water by the crew of the Dutch-flagged containership Ensemble, which was sailing in the same waters and was en route to Dublin when it diverted to render assistance.

The containership remained on-scene until a Salvamento Maritimo SAR boat reached the area and eventually brought the two individuals on board at 07:23 local time on Thursday.

The castaways had both contracted mild hypothermia but were otherwise unharmed.