RESPLENDENT

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Latest news

Search for missing skipper exhausted all means

The search for the master of the 'Resplendent' has been aborted as it was considered impossible to recover the body of the still missing Carlo Gordon. This conclusion was reached by experts after Gordon has been missing for two weeks. The Hangana Seafood company, a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List Group (O&L), has finally stopped the search for Carlo Gordon or the recovery of the body. A special commemoration will soon be held on the company's premises, on which occasion the family members and staff have the opportunity to say goodbye. The Hangana Seafood has exhausted every opportunity to find the captain since the sinking of the trawler west of Henties Bay on Feb 18 for unknown reasons. There was no real prospect of recovering the body from the wreck which sank on a water depth of 318 meters. Hangana also consulted with the company Walvis Bay Diving. It was found that it was almost impossible to dive to the wreck since not only is the visibility clearly limited at that depth, but the ocean current has been calculated at seven knots. Hangana has also considered recovering the body using a ROV, but this was also impossible because the device is also dependent on a clear view under water and is not equipped with the necessary equipment to recover bodies. Due to these circumstances, Hangana and the insurance company P&I have come to the conclusion to stop operations on site. Gordon's family flew to the scene of the accident, where they were given the opportunity to scatter flowers. The trawler had left Walvis Bay on Feb 17 at 7 p.m. with a crew of 27 and the captain on board. On Feb 18 at 7 a.m., the 'Resplendent' reached the fishing grounds and fished with the trawl. At 12:30 p.m., the crew alerted Gordon that water was pouring into the ship, after which Gordon immediately initiated emergency measures. Already at 12.45 p.m. he asked the captain of the sister ship 'Fisher Bank', Jerome van Wyk, for help. Just 15 minutes later, he sent another emergency call and ordered to leave the ship. The crew put on life jackets and took care of the self-inflatable lifeboats. The trawler 'Fisher Bank' first arrived at the scene of the accident and started fishing crew members out of the water. Shortly afterwards the 'Victory' arrived, which rescued 17 seafarers from the sea. The crew members were counted on both ships, after which Gordon was reported missing. Both ships immediately started a search for the captain. A little later, other ships had arrived, involving the 'Equinos' from Cadilu Fishing, the 'Wiron V Itingwege' from Pereira Fishing, the 'Muxia' from Merlus Fishing, the 'Begonia' from Hangana and the patrol ship 'Anna'. After 24 hours, the search was canceled, but Hangana left the 'Begonia' still on site.

Trawler sank, captain missing

The 'Resplendent' sank on Feb 18, 2020, around 1 p.m. about 27 nautical miles west of Henties Bay. The crew was pulling the net on board when water suddenly flowed into the stern at an alarming rate. They immediately switched on the emergency dewatering pumps, but were unsuccessful to cope with the flooding. A part of the crew saved themselves in two lifeboats. The 'Resplendent' suddenly tipped over and sank in less than five minutes. The captain was still searching for the last three crew members and did not know that they could already save themselves. The rest of the crew were scattered in the water. They were assisted to climb into the lifeboats. Fortunately, the weather was calm. They were rescued by the trawlers "Fisher Bank", "Begonia" and "Victory", who were nearby. The "Fisher Bank" and "Begonia" were also part of the Hangana fleet. At 6.30 a.m. the 26 rescued crew members arrived safely in Walvis Bay. They were taken to the Welwitschia private hospital, where they were given dry clothes and medically treated. The fishermen were also supported with trauma therapy and counseling sessions. Numerous concerned families and friends gathered in the hospital and visited the crew. The captain Carlo Gordon went missing, the search was stopped after sunset and resumed in the morning of Feb 19 with seven ships. After more than 24 hours, it was ended without success at 3 p.m. A hull plate on the 'Resplendent' was thought to have come loose for reasons unknown and caused the severe water ingress. The Directorate for Maritime Affairs (DMA) launched a full investigation into the shipwreck. The Ministry for Public Works and Transport has issued a navigation warning to all ships in the area. The ship had a valid safety certificate, which was issued in October 2019 and was valid until October 2020.