Another tourist boat has capsized in the Red Sea, while making its way south from the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada on the afternoon of 6 February. There were no guests on board at the time but the vessel's six crew had to be rescued.
The incident occurred in heavy seas some 100km short of the vessel’s destination, while it was off what is said to be the Middle East’s biggest wind-farm site at Gabal El Zeit.
Two boats belonging to the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (GUPCO) came to the rescue after a distress call had been picked up by the Red Sea authorities. Personnel were able to pick up four of the crew-members quickly, and to recover the other two that evening, following an extended search and rescue operation.
The stricken boat has been named variously as Try Tone and Triton. It was reported to have been undergoing maintenance near Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast, although it is also possible that it was a new vessel on its way to enter service, as indicated in early reports of the incident.
It is not clear whether it was a dedicated dive-boat, or whether it had been possible to recover it.
The news came on the same day that the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) reinforced earlier concerns expressed to the Egyptian authorities about liveaboard safety by issuing a safety bulletin for anyone considering taking a Red Sea dive-boat holiday.
The document warns divers to be cautious when selecting a Red Sea liveaboard in the light of a list of shortcomings that MAIB has identified in vessels involved in sometimes fatal incidents in recent years.
Also on Divernet: ‘Be cautious selecting Red Sea dive-boats’ warns MAIB, Efforts to coerce Sea Story diver-survivors reported by BBC. ’Our dive liveaboard capsized: Now what?’, Red Sea liveaboard sinks at Abu Nuhas
