Crew Rescued from Offshore Supply Vessel After Fire Off South Africa’s Coast

A crew of 15 was successfully rescued from the southern waters of Cape, South Africa, on Thursday the 11th of September after their offshore supply vessel (OSV) caught fire, forcing its abandonment.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reported that the incident involved the Marshall Island-flagged vessel AM Pride, which caught fire early Thursday about 90 kilometers south of Mossel Bay.

The Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) in Cape Town received an alert from the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA) at around 10:30 AM local time. PetroSA informed MRCC that the fire had broken out near the FA oil and gas platform and had become uncontrollable, originating in the ship’s messroom.

Nearby vessels were called upon to assist, with two responding—Angelic Peace and Thunderbird. A PetroSA helicopter was also dispatched, rescuing eight crew members from a life raft and taking them to the FA platform. The remaining seven crew members were airlifted to George. The entire crew was transported to Cape Town.

Meanwhile, the Mkhuseli, an emergency towing vessel operated by African Marine Solutions, was scheduled to reach the AM Pride on Friday at 7:30 AM local time to tow the vessel to a location agreed upon with its owners, Alphard Maritime, though the destination has yet to be disclosed.

Image credit: SAMSA