The crew aboard the De Chan number 44 vessel became stranded after their boat ran aground on the Mabulica reef close to Gau Island on Wednesday. Lieutenant Commander Sairusi Colati, director of the Fiji Maritime Surveillance and Rescue Coordination Centre, confirmed that all crew members are safe and that arrangements are being made for their transportation from the incident site.
“It’s a long-line vessel,” Commander Colati stated. He noted that rescue operations were not conducted over the weekend, but a group of fishermen had also encountered difficulties with their own vessel at the Mabulica reef, near the village of Vione.
Colati reported receiving an alert early on Wednesday, suggesting the grounding incident likely occurred the previous night. While the exact number of crew members aboard is still unconfirmed, he assured that everyone is unharmed and remains on the vessel.
Discussions are ongoing with the vessel’s agents, and Colati mentioned that while everyone is safe on board, they are coordinating with another ship for the crew’s transfer. Salvage operations are also in progress. Furthermore, coordination is taking place with the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji regarding a potential oil spill in the area of the vessel.
However, MSAF CEO Joeli Cawaki indicated that he was not aware of the incident or whether MSAF had initiated inspections for any possible oil spills near the vessel.