MOSSEL BAY NEWS - At 17:44 on Friday, 27 July the NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew were called to assist the 13-metre fishing trawler, Vuna Imbongi, which reported to be grounding at Dias Beach, with seven crew on board.
The rescue craft, Rescue 15 and St Blaze Rescuer, were launched and the NSRI rescue vehicle responded. Mossel Bay emergency services also responded.
The Vuna Imbongi was found in shallow, calm surf, beached at Dias Beach.
"To prevent the trawler from tipping over, a towline was rigged and we held the trawler in the surf, preventing her from drifting closer to the beach, pending the arrival of a Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) tugboat, activated to try to pull the casualty trawler off the shallow sand," NSRI Mossel Bay station commander André Fraser said.
NSRI rescue swimmers were put aboard the trawler and all crew were found safe and unharmed.
Prior to the arrival of the TNPA tug, the Arctic Tern, in a rising spring tide, the NSRI sea rescue craft was able to pull the trawler out to sea to deeper water and once in deep water the towline was released and the trawler continued on her way and no further assistance was required.
The full moon spring tide peaked on Saturday, 28 July, causing a higher than normal high tide, a lower than normal low tide and stronger than normal rip currents.
The SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) is investigating the cause of the fishing trawler running aground.
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