Sunsail to find out what happened to the missing boat and its crew

by Sunsail on 18 Jun 2015 On 12 February 2015, Sunsail reported as missing one of its 444 catamaran yachts, which was on its way from Cape Town, South Africa to Phuket in Thailand with three crew on board.

On Thursday, 21 May 2015 at 14:00hrs GMT the Maritime Rescue Coordination and Response Centre Cape Town (MRCC), who have been leading the search investigation, received photographs of an upturned vessel approximately 600nm SE of Mauritius. The photographs were taken from and supplied by, a container ship in the area. Nothing has yet been confirmed, but it is believed at this stage that the upturned vessel might be the missing 444 catamaran yacht.

Sunsail was notified and received a copy of the photographs showing the upturned vessel on Friday 22 May and was told of the second sighting on 5 June by the MRCC. We were advised that the merchant vessel which sighted the upturned catamaran on 5 June was requested by the MRCC to attach a radar reflector to the catamaran. However, we were notified that very bad weather and sea conditions at the time (sea state six, very rough, four to six meter swells, wind NNE x 6/7), meant that it was too dangerous to attempt launching the ship’s boat to perform this task. On 6 June, this merchant vessel made an attempt to relocate the upturned catamaran but this proved unsuccessful. No further sightings of the vessel have been reported since then in the area.

Subsequently, Sunsail approached a number of professional response companies on Mauritius with a view to sending out a professional response team and dive crew to the area where the upturned vessel was last seen. Working alongside the MRCC, Sunsail has selected a local specialist firm to investigate the area specified by the MRCC taking into consideration prevailing drift patterns.

Sunsail has advised the families of the missing crew that an “observer” can be placed on-board the response company’s boat to accompany any exploration of the area where the upturned vessel was last seen.

We can confirm that the MRCC are continuing to alert vessels in the vicinity.

Sunsail has been in regular contact with the families of the missing sailors and also the authorities. It remains a priority for Sunsail to find out what happened to the missing boat and its crew.