AFM gives account of search for fishermen
Simon Bugeja being treated on the rescue helicopter.
The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) has given a detailed account of its efforts to locate the fishinboat Simshar as soon as relatives of the crew reported it missing yesterday week.
The Simshar left Malta on Monday July 7 and had been due back last Friday week.
The AFM said its Operations' Centre initiated a communications search last Saturday evening at 7.35. Italian coast radio stations in the area were also requested to try to establish contact with the Maltese fishing vessel. An alert message was also broadcast to all shipping Meanwhile, an AFM aircraft which at the time was on coastal patrol and a patrol boat which was returning to Malta following an illegal immigrants' incident were alerted to keep a sharp look-out for the overdue fishing vessel.
As attempts to contact the Simshar by means of VHF-marine and satellite-telephone continued to be fruitless, the AFM Air Wing's Islander aircraft conducted a number of searches throughout Sunday, covering approximately 3,900 square nautical miles.
Italian Air Force AB212 helicopters from the Italian Military Mission (IMM) in Malta, a Tunisian search-helicopter, as well as Sigonella-based Italian Navy 'Atlantique' and US Navy 6th Fleet 'P3-Orion' aircraft joined the search on Sunday and subsequent days. No sightings were reported by this time. Both Libyan and Tunisian authorities were also requested to conduct enquiries at their respective ends if a Maltese fishing-vessel had entered one of their ports.
The search for the vessel had concentrated in the area between Malta and Lampedusa, and fishermen from Marsaxlokk also helped in the search operations.
"In this regard, the AFM denies certain reports in the local media aired today that it had restrained such search efforts by the local fishing-vessels. Operations' Centre staff, as a matter of fact, provided all navigational and likely sea-current and drift information to the Maltese fishermen involved, counseling them where best to conduct their surface searches. Given the 500-foot separation spacing between the various air assets involved, the fishermen were advised by the AFM not to act on their intent to hire out a private aircraft to assist in the search."
On Thursday at 2 a.m., the corpse of one of the fishing vessel's crew members, Noel Carabott, 33, from Marsaxlokk, was found some 60 nautical miles southwest of Malta by the fishing-vessel LAURA-2, and was later brought ashore by a Maritime Squadron patrol boat after a mid-sea transfer.
The search for the missing vessel continued in full force: on Friday at around 4.40 p.m., while conducting a search in the area where the first corpse was recovered on Thursday, an Italian Air Force AB212-helicopter of the IMM sighted a second corpse in a position 62 nautical miles south-west off Malta. The AFM's Protector-class patrol-craft P51 was immediately dispatched on site, as a local fishing-vessel which was already in the area - the 'Madonna tal-Karmnu', was directed to approach the corpse. It was subsequently ascertained that the corpse was of one of the other fishermen, Carmelo Bugeja, and it was brought to shore at Haywharf Base by P51 at 2.30 a.m. yesterday.
Later in the evening, at around 1955hrs, the AFM Operations Centre was informed by another fishing vessel - the 'Grecale', which was conducting a search to the southwest of Malta where two corpses had been found earlier, that Simshar's owner Simon Bugeja was found alive and had been recovered on board. After the AFM patrol boat P-51 reached the fishing-vessel, the casualty was winched at 9.15 p.m. onto an Italian Air Force AB212 rescue-helicopter that had been dispatched to the Grecale's location to evacuate Mr. Bugeja to Mater Dei Hospital.
At 3.35 p.m. yesterday the Alhaden-3 encountered a severely decomposed corpse of a foreign national in a position 63.4 nautical miles from Malta, and barely 2.4 nautical miles, due west from where the corpse of Carmelo Bugeja was retrieved. The corpse was recovered by AFM patrol-boat P-52.
The search is continuing for Theo Bugeja 11 and an Ethiopian fisherman while the identity of the corpse is established.
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Alexander Grima
Jul 22nd 2008, 14:09
It’s a well-known fact that freak accidents do occur when out at sea; for most, it is not a question of if but when. Without going into details pending ongoing investigations and also considering the fact that the ones left behind are still mourning their loved ones, it seems evident to me that irresponsibility reigned upon boarding the ill-fated Shimsar. The people entrusted with the safety of this vessel should have known better. Surely, the AFM cannot be blamed for not being quick enough and save lives. These same guys risk their lives on a daily basis in order to save hundreds, if not thousands of lives per year, illegal and not. And more often than not, they succeed with their search and rescue operations. Let us be reminded that these guys also have families and that their salaries hardly speak for the daily risks they take. Let us look back and learn from our wrong-doings rather than expect our authorities to save the day for us.
My sympathy goes to all those who were hit directly by this tragedy.
Joseph Borg
Jul 22nd 2008, 10:29
The strange part of this story is the mentioned explosion in the engine room. To have an explosion you need a fuel, oxygen and a source of ignition. Now, if the only fuel present was diesel, this is technically impossible at ambient conditions since diesel doesn't evaporate (like petrol), and can't explode. It obviously explodes in the engine block (hehe), but injection has to occur in a very specific manner and the compression needed is simply too high to be present in the engine room.
Noel Cutajar
Jul 21st 2008, 22:32
This is a tragedy which happened and people suffered, and will be suffering for years to come. Also note that the AFM is stretched to its capacity with all these boatloads of illegal immigrants. We are neither the US or the Nato, we have a limited capacity to act and few boats to spare and I dare say that only 4 are sea-worthy with different shifts. Nonetheless, not one of us was there, neither at the AFM control centre and maybe we are far from the truth and speculations as always we are very good at. Let the victims rest in peace and those who are mourning. As for us it is only another excuse to chat and point fingers without doing anything concrete. Hopefully we can see a lot of you down on the road looking for victims...think about this...and we can meet.
Denis catania
Jul 20th 2008, 21:29
@Anthony M Rosso: I'm not trying to dis the US or any other nation. Since my son is looking into doing search and rescue in Alaska. I'm more tend to listen and follow cases on missing people. When it comes to searching the oceans, they do stop their search after a few days, unlike Malta. The woman that fell aboard a cruise ship 30 miles outside of NYC about 4 weeks ago, her search was put off after 2 days. The State of Nevada proposed a search fee for any climbers that needed help in the Red Rock cannons. These are facts. Maybe the head of the AFM should take this job with the UN. The US should look at Simon Bugeja case, and start extending the search to more than 2 or 3 days. Do you agree?
Donna Degaetano
Jul 20th 2008, 20:00
No-one except those directly involved can tell if the search was conducted properly or not. If it was, well done to the AFM, but if it wasn't, as rumors go, then someone will have the lives of those three fishermen and, heaven forbid, Theo's on his conscience for the rest of their lives.
mark busuttil
Jul 20th 2008, 19:56
i am mark busuttil one of the survivors of last month. WALLY even on this tragedy you came up with some theory so that the afm doesnt look bad. on our accident the brigadier said in the times that he was going to investigate and was going to make contact with me. a month passed and he hasnt phoned me yet. how is that for a serious person is he just taking time so that everyone forgets. well this time the people are not going to forget easily 3 persons have died and maybe also the forth will be found dead. M FLERI the papers said that that boat was the most equipped in marsaxlokk if the boat explodes how can you use the equipment. i cant beleive that there are people that say this thing. well done to the AFM for what ???????
Anthony M Rosso
Jul 20th 2008, 18:40
Mr Denis Catania sounds like he is well read and an International Authority on "Search and Rescue" I think he should be given a prominent position in the UN so he can teach the US and any other Nation interested in his knowledge of how they should conduct there Search and Rescues. Well done AFM...the media and those people who decided to spred all kinds of false information, should be ashamed of themselves.
paul fenech
Jul 20th 2008, 18:33
come on why this AFM blame....certainly they done everything possible......only miracle kept Simon alive........in that kind of sea only a miracle can do it......or else ur down in 5 minutes.........
what about the continous strange rumours in Mxlokk ? its true that same boat was involved in an accident some 3 weeks ago ?? a bit of mystery how an engine just blew up and within seconds dissapeard....let alone that top quality kind of vessel
matt azzopardi
Jul 20th 2008, 17:43
to ms V A Cremona,
true,...... but please!!! not that subject again
M Fleri
Jul 20th 2008, 16:35
Why are people criticising the AFM. Warnings are always being broadcast on how you should be well equipped when going out to sea, it does not seem that this was the case here. Well done to the AFM.
Denis Catania
Jul 20th 2008, 16:19
I have to commend the Maltese for not giving up on the search. In the US the search would have been called aff after 2 or 3 days. In some states they are charging the victims after the rescue.Just another reason to proud to be Maltese, besides Simon Bugeja. He's not just a Maltese Hero but a Universal hero.
Let's keep praying for Theo return.
L Galea
Jul 20th 2008, 16:01
A question that I would like to ask the authorities is whether our helicopters and launches are equipped with infra red equipment which might have been useful since it is able to discriminate between the background sea temperature and the body temperature of the survivors and would thus have alerted the pilots about the presence of the survivors.
Infra red binoculars and other infra red equipment is even available on the internet and is used by many military personnel of different nations, including by S&R crews.
It is also used by television crews, so there is no lack of available sources.
wally vella-zarb
Jul 20th 2008, 14:38
If you people think that it is so easy to spot a floating human being - whose head is usually the only thing that is visible - why not try this simple experiment.
Blow up a dark coloured balloon to the approximate size of a head and let it loose on the waves when there is a breeze blowing it away from you. I would be very surprised if you can still make it out from a distance of 30 metres. Meanwhile, if you so much as blink, locating it again is just a matter of luck. It is for this reason that, when a man goes overboard, a crew member is instantly assigned to keep pointing at him while the boat proceeds with the rescue operation; this improves the chances of keeping track when the head is momentarily obscured by waves.
Having myself been rescued many years ago, I can tell you that the deck of our catamaran, 37 feet long by 17 feet wide, seemed like a little match box from the deck of the small ship that took it in tow.
Be thankful when when someone is found, not critical when they are not!
R. Zammit
Jul 20th 2008, 13:22
I have no doubt in the professionalism of our servicemen and in particular, I have a very high opinion of our Search and Rescue section. They seem to be to be a well trained section and quite well equipped too, although if they are not equippped (and trained) with night-vision and heat sensing equipment, this drastically reduces their capability and effectiveness.
Though I do not know the facts of this SAR mission, from what I read, it cannot be deemed to have been a succesful seach mission by our local army forces togther with the Italian, Tunisian and American forces that also helped.
I cannot understand how well equipped spotter aircraft from four countries with a pretty good idea of the location of the tragedy, failed to find anything at all for 8 solid days of searching. The survivor was found some 30 miles from where the tragedy took place, which though quite far away, with all those aircarft and many other military and fishing vessels on the surface also searching, could be easily covered daily.
This tragedy together with the recent ship-wreck off Gozo (with distress signal), need to be carefully looked at.
Cremona Vicki Ann
Jul 20th 2008, 12:31
I was surprised and disappointed to note that in the terrible tragedy that occurred, no attention whatsoever was paid to the Eritrean? Ethiopian? victim. Surely the man has a name, an identity, perhaps a family who will grieve him. I believe solidarity should be shown both to the family of the unfortunate Maltese fishermen, who perished so tragically, as well as to that of the other, unidentified victim, who shared their tragic fate.
agrech
Jul 20th 2008, 10:17
I'd like to pose a simple question. How come Simon and some of the bodies were found by a boat and not by a helicopter? Basic common sense tells me that one can see better from up in the air than from a boat in the sea. Theo could have been saved also if the helicopter saw him and his Dad on Thursday morning.
I'm not going to teach AFM the trick of the trade but I see something wrong in the technique they used.
Christian Caruana
Jul 20th 2008, 09:59
This story is scarred by the grave incompetencies of the competent autorithies.
Both the VMS (an apparatus providing the location of the vessel to the fisheries department) signal and satellite phone signal went dead on Thursday night, yet the communication search started on Saturday night, and the actual search on Sunday, more than 48 hours after the tragedy occured. Who is responsible for monitoring the VMS signal at the department, and why was no action taken by him/her?
As for the army i do not beleive that the other fishermen did not participate in the searches immediately on their own accord, this is simply something unbeleivable and several fihermen are stating that it was the army that "persuaded" them not to go at sea since they where searching (mistakenly) for a the vessel (Simon himself said that a helicopter passed twice above them and at close range but did not notice them) and any vessels in the area would hinder their operations!!!
All in all the fishermen (which were ultimately responsible for finding Simon alive) lost at least four days worth of searching.
A public enquiry should be held to seek out the responsabilities for this tragedy.
Sandro Pace
Jul 20th 2008, 09:51
While expressing condolences to both families, the village of Marsaxlokk and the whole fishing community, it cannot be said that this is not the first time this summer that seamen feel the AFM could have done better in our S&R. The first was the yacht incident.
It seems that there is wrong priorities in the allocation of resources. Why have not most of the available patrol boats allocated to this task? The more eyes, the better. I do not know what the AFM operational priorities are, but we know what to expect. Simply put, if there are Maltese missing at sea, all the energy should be focused there, even if the rest of the whole world is drowning nearby, figuratively speaking, and stark choices have to be made.
Foreign navies and coast guards may help, but the main contribution in such cases should be given by Maltese. For no one will search better for his fellow countrymen. As we've seen, had it not been for the fishermen, I doubt whether the survivor would have been found alive.