SHIPWRECK: Tragic Confirmation Of Missing Spanish Fishing Boat With SIX Sailors

PARTS of the fishing boat, based in Spain’s Algeciras (Cadiz), missing since Wednesday with SIX fishermen on board, have been found.

The fishing boat ‘Rua Mar’, based in the Port of Algeciras, disappeared in Moroccan waters in the early hours of last Wednesday. Since then, a search team was set up, consisting of Maritime Rescue, Civil Guard and Spanish Navy personnel.

The owner of the fishing boat, Pedro Maza, explained that the intention of the crew was to return to their base in the port of Algeciras and that the six crew members on board consisted of the skipper, a mechanic and four sailors.

The fishing boat ‘Rua Mar’ had left Algeciras “on Wednesday at one o’clock in the morning to an area near Cape Espartel, in Morocco.,” as the fishing vessel’s owner, Pedro Maza explained, adding “they were thinking of returning at night, because the weather was bad” However, Salvamento Maritimo (maritime rescue) contacted the shipowner and informed that the distress signal had been made, but shortly after maritime rescue lost contact with the vessel.

As Euro Weekly News understands, parts of vessel have been found, shipwrecked off the coast of Barbate, in the area of Retin.

Two oil drums and two rafts were located yesterday afternoon by another fishing vessel and Pedro Maza, owner of the missing ‘Rua Mar’, has confirmed that the serial number of the rafts are those which belonged to the missing fishing vessel.

A spokesperson from maritime rescue has stated that “the shipwreck of the vessel is confirmed ‘almost one hundred percent’” adding that the underwater search will be intensified “once the necessary equipment is available,” without ruling search “by sea, land and air” as “the hope that some survivors may appear” remains open.

The underwater search will be aided with the use of both a sonar and an underwater robot.

The collision with a merchant ship has been ruled out as a hypothesis, since none of the routes of those who passed through that area coincide with the point and time at which the radio distress signal was activated.

Spanish Navy tweeted: “Our maritime action ship #Relampago is incorporated with @salvamentogob to the search for the fishing boat from Barbate”

Nuestro buque de acción marítima #Relampago se incorpora con @salvamentogob a las labores de búsqueda del pesquero pesquero barbateño #RuaMar, desaparecido esta madrugada.

El #Relámpago permanecerá toda la noche en la zona.#BuenasNoches pic.twitter.com/8d5ijLUmC9

— Armada (@Armada_esp) January 24, 2020