Captain & First Officer Arrested After Mauritanian Vessel Sinks In Collision, 5 Crew Missing

Five Mauritanian sailors went missing after a collision between two fishing vessels off the coast of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, on Friday evening, prompting extensive search and rescue operations.

The accident occurred when the 105-meter Gambian-flagged factory ship Right Whale collided with the Mauritanian-flagged freezer trawler Tafra 3. The incident took place in calm sea conditions and clear weather.

According to video footage obtained by Spanish media, the Right Whale’s bow struck the Tafra 3 on the starboard side while the smaller vessel was engaged in fishing operations, with trawl cables visibly trailing astern.

The collision caused the two ships to remain connected briefly, with the Right Whale pushing the Tafra 3 ahead for approximately two minutes. After separating, the Tafra 3 revealed a large tear extending from the main deck down through the hull.

The vessel rapidly listed to starboard and sank by the stern in roughly 50 meters of water. The speed of the sinking left the crew unable to deploy liferafts, which were later released automatically via hydrostatic activation.

Of the 26 crew members on board the Tafra 3, 21 were rescued, including three Spanish nationals, two captains and one engineer, and at least one Russian crew member. One of the Spanish survivors sustained a head injury requiring stitches. The five missing sailors were all Mauritanian, including one officer.

The Mauritanian coastguard dispatched a patrol boat to coordinate the search and rescue mission, supported by local fishing vessels and a Spanish helicopter. Operations continued throughout the weekend, but the missing crew had not been located as of the latest reports.

Video recordings from the Right Whale show the Lithuanian-owned, Russian-captained pelagic trawler colliding with the Tafra 3, dragging it forward for nearly two minutes before it drifted apart.

The footage also captured crew members of the smaller vessel attempting to seek refuge amid the chaos, with some climbing onto nets during the impact. Observers noted that rigging slats on the Tafra 3’s stern would have limited maneuverability, with at least two crew members actively handling gear at the time.

Authorities confirmed that the captain and first officer of the Right Whale were arrested following the collision and statements were taken by the local gendarmerie. The Tafra 3’s skipper returned to the hotel where survivors were staying after providing his account of the incident.

Galician authorities reported that two of the rescued Spaniards were captains from Marín, Galicia, while the third was an engineer from Huelva. Assistance for the survivors’ repatriation is being arranged by consular services, with one skipper expected to travel to the Canary Islands before heading to Galicia.

Reference: lavozdegalicia

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