Search for seafarer along South African coast called off

Seafarer reported going overboard from container vessel

SOUTH AFRICA: The search for a seafarer who reportedly fell overboard a container vessel, MV Santa Cruz, along the South African coastline over the weekend has been called off and the vessel, which is now bound for the Port of Cape Town where officials from the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) will undertake further investigation.

The seafarer is believed to have fallen overboard while not wearing a lifejacket on Saturday evening while the vessel was sailing along the Eastern Cape coastline, approximately 22 nautical miles east of Cape Recife, near Algoa Bay.

According to SAMSA the search for the sailor was initiated on the Saturday shortly after a distress call was received from the vessel requesting assistance through both the Telkom Maritime Radio and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre based in Cape Town.

Unfortunately, the seafarer, reportedly a male in his 30s, has not been found despite calls to vessels in the vicinity as well as to the National Sea Rescue Institute to assist in the search.

The containership which was enroute from Durban to Cape Town continued the search on Saturday night and was later joined by as many as six other vessels, as well as by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in (Gqeberha), however sadly, all to no avail, confirmed SAMSA.