Minister Barbara Creecy instructs SAMSA to conduct urgent safety inspections of all commercial fishing vessels

The Minister of Transport, Ms Barbara Creecy has instructed the Board Chairperson of South African Maritime Authority (SAMSA), Mr Mahesh Fakir, to conduct an urgent safety inspections of all commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters. This instruction comes amid growing concerns regarding incidents involving vessels at sea with another incident of a fishing vessel FV Armana that caught fire while at sea in the early hours of this morning at approximately 06:00.am.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a distress message that the FV Armana, owned by Viking Fishing Company, was on fire approximately 60 nautical miles off Gansbaai in the Western Cape.

No fatalities have so far been reported am,ongst the 20 crew members that were on board the FV Armana. The crew had to abandon the vessel and were safely rescued by another fishing vessel, the FV Ludwani, which was operating in the same area. They are currently en route to Cape Town and are expected to land at the Port of Cape Town at approximately 20:00 this evening. Their families have been informed and are being kept updated throughout the process.

Concerns About Increased Incidents

SAMSA is currently conducting an urgent investigation into the incident to establish the root cause and determine whether any regulatory breaches occurred.

"I must express my concern about the increasing number of incidents involving fishing vessels in our waters. This year alone, we have witnessed no fewer than five significant incidents, tragically resulting in the loss of 18 lives. Such incidents are deeply concerning, and it is clear that we must take immediate action to improve the safety of our fishing fleet." said Minister Creecy.

"As a result, I have instructed SAMSA to conduct safety audit inspections on all fishing vessels operating in South African waters that are in our register, and present a report as soon as possible. Furthermore, SAMSA has also been instructed to develop a fishing vessel safety improvement plan aimed at preventing future incidents and ensuring that vessels operating in our waters meet the highest safety standards. The safety of maritime workers is a matter of national priority" Creecy concluded.

Current Status of FV Armana

The FV Armana is currently adrift 57 nautical miles south of Gansbaai and remains on fire. The vessel is being monitored by another vessel from the same company, the MFV Harvest Saldanha. SAMSA has issued instructions to the vessel owner to secure the services of a tug to tow the stricken vessel to a safe place of refuge and to appoint a salvor to manage the situation and prevent any further risk to the marine environment.

Media enquiries:
Collen Msibi
National Spokesperson
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