The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and two Good Samaritans rescued 13 people off the coast of Virginia on Friday after their fishing vessel collided with a 1,000-foot container ship and began to sink, officials said.
The crew of the Tremont, a 115-foot commercial fishing vessel, sent out a mayday call around 2 a.m. from approximately 63 miles southeast of the offshore island Chincoteague, the USCG said.
The crew said their vessel collided with the 1000-foot Panamanian-flagged container vessel, MSC Rita, and were abandoning the sinking ship.
USCG boat and helicopter crews responded to the area, along with two Good Samaritan vessels, the research vessel Atlantis and motor vessel Drystan.
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Two Good Samaritan vessels assisted in the rescue.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City)
The Atlantis launched a small boat to ferry 12 members of the Tremont crew to the Drystan. The USCG helicopter crew hoisted the vessel’s captain from the sinking ship.
The Coast Guard and Good Samaritans rescued 13 people from the 115-foot fishing vessel, Tremont, Oct. 28, 2022 after the fishing vessel and a container vessel reportedly collided 63 miles southeast of Chincoteague, Virginia.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City)
All crew members and the captain were transported to safety. No injuries were reported.
All 13 crewmembers of the Tremont were safely rescued with no reported injuries.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Chincoteague)
“Safety of life at sea is the Coast Guard’s top priority,” said Capt. Jennifer Stockwell, commander of Sector Virginia. “These are the life-saving missions for which we train each and every day. While this morning’s events were unfortunate, 13 people were rescued from an extremely perilous situation. The combined efforts of Good Samaritans and Coast Guard response assets demonstrates a selfless commitment to others.”
The collision between the two vessels remained under investigation.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Chincoteague)
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No further details about the collision between the two vessels were immediately released as officials continue the investigation.