At least six people have lost their lives in the shipwreck of a fishing boat with Spanish crew members in the waters of the Malvinas Islands, as reported by the Galician Government Delegation. The 27 crew members aboard the longliner Argos Georgia, which in the last few hours requested help 170 miles (just over 300 kilometers) east of Puerto Stanley in the South American archipelago, after suffering a breach, were in danger. Some of the crew members were waiting in three life rafts to be rescued by the ship Robin M. Lee – owned by a company from Vigo and based in Cangas (Pontevedra). Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has stated that there are 14 survivors already rescued from the shipwreck, but no information has been released about the nationality of the victims or the survivors. The Galician Government Delegation has reported that the victims have not yet been identified and that the survivors are calling their families from the boats. The forecast is that the search and rescue operation will continue despite the difficult meteorological conditions in the area where the shipwreck occurred.
According to information provided by the maritime authorities of the Malvinas to Spain, the fishing boat Puerto Toro recovered two bodies, and the Robin M. Lee rescued a survivor and a deceased body. “Two of the Spanish crew members are scientific observers,” specified Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, who indicated that the death of one victim has been confirmed and that “reliable sources” have reported on the other two. Albares has reported that the boat also carried Uruguayans, Peruvians, Russians, and Indonesians, in addition to the Spaniards. The minister also stated that the government has no plans to send rescue resources to the area because, given the situation of the shipwreck and the urgency of the rescue operations in a very remote area from Spain, it makes more sense for the fishing boats in the vicinity to provide assistance to the crew of the Argos Georgia.
The National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Madrid (CNCS) has stated that direct communication is being maintained with its counterpart, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center of the Falkland Islands (MRCC Falkland), to gather information on the status of the rescue operation and the condition of the crew members. The fishing boat, flying the flag of Santa Elena (a British Overseas Territory) and carrying 27 crew members, including 10 Spaniards, sent a distress call when it was about 170 miles southeast of Puerto Stanley or Puerto Argentino in the Malvinas Islands. It is reported that the boat was experiencing a breach due to a storm. Eventually, after midnight, the crew abandoned the ship in three life rafts. Meanwhile, conditions in the area have been described as having winds of 35 knots and sea swell of between five and six meters.
Salvamento Marítimo also detailed that their last conversation with the crew was at 9:00 p.m. local time. The local government has reported that yesterday evening (local time) the maritime authority in the islands received information that this fishing boat was in trouble and requested assistance several miles east of Stanley. Consequently, communications were initiated between the governments of the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, as well as the headquarters of the British Forces in the South Atlantic Islands, the Maritime Agency, UK Coastguard, the fishing company, and other fishing vessels at sea. According to information from the Malvinas Government, the situation on board the Argos Georgia “deteriorated in the last few hours,” prompting a rescue operation with maritime and aerial means, including several search helicopters, which was hampered by adverse weather conditions.
Sources confirmed that it was a longliners and that there were numerous Galician sailors on board. Other industry sources reported that several fishing vessels from the autonomous community, including the Robin M. Lee, had traveled to the location to assist in rescue efforts. The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, expressed his condolences for the deaths. “We send our condolences to the families of the deceased crew members and all those affected by this terrible accident. Our thoughts are with you,” stated the former President of the Xunta de Galicia in a tweet.
