TAFRA 3

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21 fishermen rescued, five missing after collision

The 'Tafra 3' with 26 crew members on board, and the factory ship 'Grey Whale' (IMO: 7703962) were in collision on Sep 12, 2025, at 8.40 p.m., in Mauritanian waters, opposite Nouadhibou, in an area where joint ventures with Galician-Mauritanian capital and other Spanish joint ventures normally are fishing. The 'Tafra 3' suffered a large breach in the starboard side and sank quickly. 21 people, including three Spaniards - the two skippers, Javier Gestido and José Manuel Diz, both residents of Morrazo, and the chief engineer from Huelva, were rescued. Among the survivors, in addition to the five Spaniards, one Ghanaian, one Senegalese and 14 Mauritanians have been identified. Seven crew members were injured, one of them seriously. Diz had a cut on his head that required stitches. The rescued arrived at the port of Nouadhibou , on Sep 13 at 6 a.m. Those who were well, were accomodated in a hotel, Five Mauritanians, including one officer, remained missing. Two crew members of the factory ship, a Spaniard and a Russian, were taken into custody in the city of Nouadhibou as part of the investigation. A patrol boat of the Mauritanian Coastguard was dispatched to the scene to coordinate the SAR operations, being supported by several fishing boats, among them the 'Tafra 2' and 'Rimbal 5', as well as a Spanish helicopter, which was deployed to the scene at the request of local authorities. The 'Tafra 3', owned by the Galician Genaro Martínez, with capital from Vigo, which until 2001 operated under the name 'Praia de Loureiro', was fishing in Mauritanian waters at the time of the accident alongside other ships, including the 'Tafra 2', also owned by the company Baipesca, based in the port of Vigo. Reports with photos and video: https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20250913/desaparecidos-naufragio-pesquero-gallego-mauritano/16727798.shtml https://www.elcorreogallego.es/galicia/2025/09/14/tafra-3-fondo-rapidisimo-abordaje-121555041.html https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/somosmar/2025/09/14/tafra-3-dos-gallegos-salvo-viraba-aparejo-abordadoel-antiguo-playa-loureiro-buen-barco-recuerdan-marin/0003_202509G14P32991.htm