Subscribe to RSS feedSeven dead, 23 missing after standby vessel sinks
Seven bodies were recovered yesterday after the sinking of a safety standby vessel close to Doha in Qatar, and the death toll was expected to rise further as 23 of those on board remained missing.
Five people, including the master, were rescued from the Demas Victory because they happened to be either on deck or in the wheelhouse at the time of the sinking.
According to the Equasis shipping safety database, ABS had recently rescinded class on grounds of an overdue survey on the 30-year-old vessel, but had subsequently reinstated it.
An ABS spokesman was unable to confirm the claim.
The 1979-built, 246 gt, St Vincent and Grenadines-flagged Demas Victory, operated by Midgulf Offshore Ship Chartering, capsized in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The cause of the casualty has not yet been established, although there were heavy seas and poor weather at the time of the incident.
There were initial reports that two diving support vessels on the scene had found the hull is intact.
The incident will reignite concerns over the performance of older safety standby vessels, known as SSVs, which according to some experts may find it difficult to cope with some foreseeable weather conditions.
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