Watch: Peruvian Navy Ship Hits Oil Barge In Amazon, 2 Dead & Commander Missing

Vessel — Screengrab from X video posted by Diario La Razón

A Peruvian Navy ship taking part in a humanitarian mission crashed into an oil storage barge on the Amazon River early Friday, April 2, 2025, killing two sailors and leaving the vessel’s commander missing.

The collision took place near the junction of the Napo and Amazon Rivers in the northern Peru, according to the country’s defense ministry.

The incident occurred around 3:00 am local time on May 2. The vessel, B.A.P. Ucayali, hit the anchor chains of the AF Manati, a floating oil storage unit owned by the Anglo-French energy company Perenco.

The barge was anchored in the river at the time of the crash. The collision caused serious damage to the navy vessel.

The Peruvian navy immediately launched a large-scale search and rescue operation. Thirty of the crew members were rescued from the damaged ship, but three sailors were reported missing.

Later, the Navy confirmed that two of them had died. The deceased were identified as Third Class Mate Jose Antonio Francisco Morales and Third Class Mate Gonzalo Apaza Huanca.

The third missing sailor, First Lieutenant Juan Miguel Davila Arevalo, who was also the commander of the unit, remains missing as of the latest update.

The defense ministry said specialised diving teams and helicopters were deployed to assist with the rescue.

El buque BAP Ucayali se hundió tras chocar con una plataforma de la empresa Perenco en la región Loreto, dejando dos tripulantes muertos y uno desaparecido. Treinta personas fueron rescatadas, y la Marina inició una investigación para esclarecer el hecho. #diariolarazon pic.twitter.com/ozuuePXRl7

— Diario La Razón (@larazon_pe) May 2, 2025

The search continues for the missing commander. The ministry also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of its personnel and promised full support to the families of the victims.

It also stated that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.

Perenco, which owns the oil storage barge, said in a statement that the AF Manati was permanently anchored when the Navy’s B.A.P. Ucayali struck its bow chain at approximately 1:30 am.

The company said it supported the Navy’s rescue efforts and extended condolences to the families of the sailors who lost their lives.

Local media reported that the region was experiencing heavy rain at the time of the collision. Some unconfirmed accounts suggest that the ship’s radar may have failed to detect the thick chains anchoring the oil platform, causing the ship to strike them and possibly end up beneath the barge.

The B.A.P. Ucayali had begun its mission on May 1 and was part of the Colombia-Peru Binational Campaign, a joint humanitarian effort with the Colombian Navy.

The mission aimed to travel over 2,700 kilometers along the Amazon and Putumayo rivers during a 48-day operation.

It was the 16th campaign of its kind and was intended to bring medical services, educational support, and other aid to more than 40 remote communities in the Amazon region.

The Navy vessel was carrying around 60 tons of humanitarian supplies as part of this operation. These joint missions are regularly conducted by Peru and Colombia to serve communities in hard-to-reach jungle areas.

The B.A.P. Ucayali is an older vessel that was originally built in 1951 as a river gunboat. In recent years, it has been repurposed mainly for patrol duties and delivering humanitarian aid in riverine areas.

The Amazon basin, which stretches across several countries including Peru, Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador, is home to numerous oil and gas operations. Incidents in the sensitive region have previously caused serious environmental and social damage.

In one major case in 2022, nearly 12,000 barrels of oil leaked into the sea following an offshore spill in Peru after waves from a volcanic eruption in Tonga hit a tanker.

Reference: BBC, Reuters

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