Fisherboat sinks before the Falkland Islands
On the South Atlantic, a Fishing Boat Fills with Water and Sinks. Fourteen People are Rescued, but Help Comes Too Late for Others.
Approximately 320 kilometers off the coast of the Falkland Islands, a fishing boat with 27 people on board sank. At least six people lost their lives, and seven more were missing, according to representatives of the British and Spanish maritime authorities.
Fourteen people made it to a rescue island. They were taken on board by two other fishing boats that were in the area when the 54-meter long "Argos Georgia" sank in the southern Atlantic near Argentina, the Spanish maritime authorities reported. Representatives of the Spanish province of Pontevedra in southeastern Galicia identified ten of the crew members as Spanish, but made no comments on their condition. They noted that not all next of kin had been informed. The crew consisted of various nationalities.
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory and crown colony, which are also claimed by Argentina under the name Islas Malvinas, announced that they had received a distress signal from the "Argos Georgia" on Monday. According to the signal, the ship was east of Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, when water began to enter.
During the search and rescue operation, a helicopter and several ships were involved. The helicopter crew reportedly spotted survivors, but had to abandon rescue efforts due to rough seas, poor visibility, and strong winds, according to the Falkland Islands government. After the storm had passed on Tuesday, the rescue operation resumed. The 14 rescued survivors were taken to Stanley and transported to a hospital for treatment, according to British authorities.
Both Argentina and Great Britain Sent Rescue Teams
The "Argos Georgia" was operated by Argos Froyanes, a British-Norwegian private company. It sailed under the flag of the British overseas territory of St. Helena, a group of islands in the South Atlantic that includes St. Helena, Ascension, and the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. The boat was built according to data from the Vesselfinder website in 2018.
Great Britain and Argentina waged a war in 1982 over the Falkland Islands. The failed Argentine invasion cost 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers their lives. The search and rescue operation, which passed through the contested maritime boundary between Argentina and the Falkland Islands, brought up old questions about sovereignty claims in the icy waters east of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego.
According to British authorities, they dispatched boats and helicopters to the scene, but made no comments on whether they coordinated with their Argentine counterparts. The Argentine Navy declared independently that it had received the distress call from the ship and "assumed command of the search and rescue mission." While the British teams were unable to rescue the stranded crew, Argentina reported that its maritime authorities coordinated the involvement of fishing boats "to rescue the survivors despite extreme weather conditions."
- The Argentine Navy, having received the distress signal from the sinking "Argos Georgia," assumed command of the international search and rescue mission.
- Despite the complexities of the Falklands War past, both the United Kingdom and Argentina sent their life-saving teams to aid in the rescue effort following the shipwreck of the "Argos Georgia."
- The Spanish maritime authorities recognized the heroic efforts of the two fishing boats that rescued 14 survivors from the Argentine crew of the "Argos Georgia," which met its fate in the treacherous waters near Argentina, a reminder of the interconnectedness of international seafaring communities.
