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The trawler 'Tafra 3' (IMO: 9238727),with 26 crew members on board, and the 'Right Whale' were in collision on Sep 12, 2025, at 8.04 p.m. LT, 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' was hit at starboard side and suffered a large breach. After it was pushed by the factory ship for about two minutes, the vessels separated, and the trawler 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 https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/somosmar/2025/09/15/right-whale-arrastro-durante-dos-minutos-tafra-3-tras-abordarlo/00031757952850552691359.htm?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=twgen

The 'Loch Breushda', serving on the route Mallaig-Small Isles, suffered a technical issue on Sep 15. As a consequence, the vehicle service had to be cancelled by the operator CalMac. The passenger charter remained unaffected. After the issue was successfully resolved, the ferry resumed its scheduled service on the morning of Sep 16 again.

The 'Tafra 3' with 26 crew members on board, and the factory ship 'Right Whale' (IMO: 8228543) were in collision on Sep 12, 2025, at 8.04 p.m. LT, 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' was hit at starboard side and suffered a large breach. After it was pushed by the factory ship for about two minutes, the vessels separated, and the trawler 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 https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/somosmar/2025/09/15/right-whale-arrastro-durante-dos-minutos-tafra-3-tras-abordarlo/00031757952850552691359.htm?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=twgen

The 'Loch Bhrusda', serving on the route Mallaig-Small, suffered a technical issue on Sep 1, 2025. The vessel was directed to Mallaig for further investigations. The ferry 'Miss Marley' was inserted as a replacement on Sep 2 and operated the following timetable: Departure Mallaig: 08:00 a.m.; Arrival Muck: 10:00 am.; Departure Muck: 10:15 a.m.; Arrival Eigg: 10:45 a.m.; Departure Eigg: 11:00 a.m.; Arrival Rum: 12:30 p.m.; Departure Rum: 1:00 p.m.; Arrival Mallaig: 3:00 p.m. Sep 3: Departure Mallaig 10.00 a.m.; Arrival Eigg 12.00 p.m.; Departure Eigg 12.15 p.m.; Arrival Muck 12.45 p.m.; Departure Muck 1:00 p.m.; Arrival Mallaig 3.30 p.m.

On Sep 11, 2025, the 'Catriona', operating on the route Claonaig-Lochranza suffered a technical issue with the power generation system, which required further investigations in the port of Loch Ranza. As a consequence, the 09:30 a.m. sailing from Lochranza and the departure at 10:05 a.m. from Claonaig are cancelled. The vessel was to be moved to the Dales Marine Services Ltd. in Greenock for repairs on Sep 12. The ferry ' Loch Tarbert' operated the service to the published timetable in the meantime. The 'Catriona' left Greenock again on Sep 15 and returned to service on Sep 16. The 'Loch Tarbert' thus repositioning to Tarbert on Sep 15. The 5:05 p.m. deparure from Lochranza was diverted to Tarbert. The 5:45 p.m.departure from Claonaig was cancelled.