According to the reports, the trawler, the 40 meter Emmanuelle, was drifting towards shore and was at risk of running aground at De Bakke, Mossel Bay, with 12 crew onboard.
Ian Hamilton, NSRI Mossel Bay duty controller, said: "At 03:21 the crew was activated. A Transnet National Ports Authority tug boat was placed on alert and NSRI commanders responded to the scene to investigate.
"NSRI volunteers were placed at our rescue base ready to respond aboard our sea rescue craft and Metro EMS ambulances and rescue crews were dispatched to join our NSRI rescue team on the scene. The SA Police Services were activated and Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue Services were activated to stand-by on the scene.
"Sea swells were 2 to 3 metres high with a 5 to 10 knot wind. The tide was low at the time of the incident.
"By 04:08 it was confirmed that the boat had drifted onto the rocks at De Bakke, about 50 meters off-shore in the wave line and the crew sent out distress calls reporting that they were preparing to abandon ship and that they were launching their life-raft.
"Assessments were made by our sea rescue commanders on the shore to decide if the casualty boat's crew should be taken off from the land side or if our sea rescue craft should be launched to take them off from the sea side.
"A rope was attached to the casualty boat from the land side in an attempt to stabilize the casualty boat and to be used as a rescue line if the decision was made to rescue the crew from the land side.
"The crew of the casualty boat was still safely onboard but as the tide dropped further, at around 04:20, the casualty boat began to lean over to one side and for safety reasons we made the decision to immediately begin evacuating the casualty boat crew from the sea side using our sea rescue craft.
"At 04:23 we launched our NSRI sea rescue craft Vodacom Rescuer and Vodacom Rescuer IV and we used Vodacom Rescuer IV, a 4,2 meter rigid inflatable rescue craft, to begin taking crew off of the trawler (the trawler was now hard aground and leaning to one side).
"Three NSRI rescue swimmers were transferred onto the casualty boat to assist in the safe evacuation of the casualty crew. The operation to transfer all crew across was achieved in relays - timing swells and wave sets and conducting the rescue during lulls in the swells and lulls in the wave sets – heading back out to sea and then transfer the casualty crew onto our bigger rescue craft.
The crewmen were transported to our sea rescue base (which was also done in running relays) and at the sea rescue base, as each load of casualty crew arrived, they were individually assessed by the Metro EMS paramedics.
"No one was injured in the incident and our NSRI volunteers assisted a tug boat to attempt to use the incoming high tide to salvage the vessel off the rocks.
"During the rescue operation our NSRI volunteers a life-raft to rescue personal goods belonging to the casualty crew and to ferry the personal goods safely to land.
"SAMSA (The South African Maritime Safety Authority) will investigate the running aground of Emmanuelle. At this stage it cannot be confirmed what caused the trawler to run aground."
Courtesy of NSRI Sea Rescue Communications.
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Photo taken by Danie Pretorius.
