Four Maltese saved by tuna pen after boat sinks

The tuna penning industry may be the curse of environmentalists, but it proved to be a lifesaver for four Maltese men whose new boat sank inexplicably in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The men were rescued in the darkness by a fishing vessel that was towing a tuna pen belonging to Azzopardi Fisheries nine miles off Malta.

None of the men could be identified or contacted yesterday, but Wayne Agius, a diver on the Azzopardi vessel, Amantea, told The Sunday Times that they were fishing on an eight-metre boat when the engine stalled, probably because it was taking in water.

The boat sank within minutes. It dragged down with it one of the men on board, though he managed to make it back to the surface. Even the small life raft they eventually mounted had to be cut free, as it had been tied to the sinking boat.

They huddled onto the life raft and started rowing, but there was nothing in sight.

A spokesman for the Armed Forces confirmed that a distress call was sent by from the boat Ħanina at 1.30 a.m. A rescue vessel was sent immediately but could not locate a vessel.

Luckily for the survivors, the Amantea was within range towing a tuna pen slowly towards Malta. The men spotted it at a distance and spent the night rowing towards it, before eventually catching up with the pen.

Mr Agius explained: "The crew woke up and we got on deck at about 8 a.m. That is when we spotted them at the back of our boat waving at us."

They pulled the survivors from their small dinghy, who were cold and shaken but unhurt. "The boat was brand new. It was only the second time it had been used," Mr Agius said.

The crew called the Maltese authorities and an AFM vessel took them back to safety later in the day.

"They were lucky to spot us. We were travelling at some 0.3 knots at the time, steaming slowly towards Malta. Rowing as best they could, they probably managed to make some 0.5 knots and caught up considerably over the night. Catching up with us was their best chance," he continued.

In the past month alone there have been at least three incidents in which illegal immigrants clung to tuna pens after their boats capsized.

Last year, the mother company of the Amantea, Azzopardi Fisheries, sparked a diplomatic row after it refused to prematurely pull in a pen which a number of immigrants clinging to after their boat sank.