SAXON S

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Fishing vessel drifted a fortnight on sea

The fishing vessel "Silver Phoenix" which was adrift for almost a fortnight in the Great Australian Bight was towed to the wharf at Port Lincoln on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula on Dec 21, 2018, by the "Saxon S", days after running out of food and being forced to eat its seafood catch. The crew, which included a fisheries researcher from Canberra, had spent 12 days drifting in the Southern Ocean after running into engine trouble in waters off the SA–WA border. A liner in the main engine cracked and was letting water into the engine sump which was totally shut down.” While the crew was not in imminent danger, it made contact with the Port Lincoln harbour master to organise a tow. A nearby fishing boat then came to help but two steel cables snapped in rough weather, forcing it to head back to shore and leaving the "Silver Phoenix" drifting again. Another nearby vessel was reported to have refused to come to the vessel’s aid. The on-board food stocks eventually ran out, leaving them without supplies for two days before the "Saxon S" t finally arrived in a rescue operation coordinated by the Stehr Group. It was a lengthy process to prepare the rescue, let alone carry it out. The horrendous weather delayed the departure of the "Saxon S" until Dec 15 when it was finally able to leave harbour after the weather moderated. Report with photo: https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/sa/2018/12/21/trawler-crew-safe-after-12-days-adrift-in-the-bight/