She voiced concern over the increasing number of incidents involving fishing vessels and urgently ordered the safety checks, following a fire last Sunday on the MVF Armana, some 60 nautical miles off the coast of Gansbaai.

“By 2024, we have witnessed no less than five major incidents, which tragically resulted in the loss of 18 lives. These incidents are deeply concerning and it is clear that we must take immediate action to improve the safety of our fishing fleet,” Creecy said as cited by News24.

The South African minister asked SAMSA to issue as soon as possible a report of the audits, and also instructed to make a plan for safety improvements on fishing vessels, aimed at averting future incidents. “The safety of maritime workers is a matter of national priority,” she asserted.

On Sunday the MFV Armana appeared to capsize, but the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) located at the SAMSA Sea Watch and Response Center in Cape Town later confirmed that all 20 crew members had abandon the vessel after it caught fire.

All crew members were rescued unharmed, while the vessel remained adrift 57 nautical miles south of Gansbaai, watched by the MFV Harvest Saldanha.

SAMSA ordered the vessel’s owner to engage the services of a tug to move the vessel to safety, after which it began an enquiry into the incident, to establish the cause and determine if there were any breaches of regulations.

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