In the middle of cyclone Batsirai, a Mauritian ship ran aground in Saint-Philippe, this Thursday, February 3, around 10 p.m. Eleven people are on board. An attempted evacuation operation is underway, but very dangerous. Important means of help are engaged. This tanker is sailing empty.
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The Mauritian vessel in difficulty off Tremblet in Saint-Philippe ran aground around 10 p.m. Eleven people are on board.
The ship ran aground
Rescue operations are underway to help the crew of the “Tresta Star”. An attempted evacuation operation is carried out, but it is complex and perilous. The ship ran aground on the 2007 lava flow, between the tip of Tremblet and the tip of Brûlé. It is therefore located in volcanic rocks and about two kilometers from the national road.
2km of lava flow between the road and the sea
An operational PC has been deployed on the lava route. The rescuers established a lifeline from this road to lead to the ship stranded in the rock. Rescuers must walk two kilometers between their vehicles and the coast where the ship ran aground.
This configuration makes rescue operations for the crew still on board very difficult. For the moment, no contact has been established with this crew of eleven people.
Rescuers have established a lifeline from the lava route to the stranded ship
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Lifeguards and medical teams
Significant emergency resources are deployed on site. At this stage, 32 personnel are involved: lifeguards and medical teams. Rescue operations are led by the French Navy under the coordination of the CROSS. The SDIS teams are on site. The Sainte-Rose nautical brigade also. The gendarmerie also mobilized the men of the mountain rescue squad (PGHM) and the GIGN. The Saint-Philippe municipal police are also on site.
At Tremblet, one of the emergency accommodation centers opened for Cyclone Batsirai will be used to accommodate the shipwrecked.
The gendarmes of Saint-Philippe and the GIGN present on the operational rescue site in Saint Philippe
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A stormy sea
The priority is to rescue the eleven sailors on board, but the rescue conditions are extremely difficult with rain, wind, but above all a swell of 7 to 8 meters which rocks the boat prisoner of the reef of Saint -Philip.
The sea is indeed dismounted due to the intense tropical cyclone Batsirai. The intense tropical cyclone will only move away very slowly during the next night, leaving the island under its peripheral influence for several more hours. company, but without success.
An empty tanker
According to the Minister of Overseas, Sébastien Lecornu, “this tanker is sailing empty”. “There is therefore at this stage no risk of serious maritime pollution by hydrocarbons”, wrote on his Twitter account the Minister this evening.
This tanker is sailing empty: there is therefore at this stage no risk of serious maritime pollution by hydrocarbons. An attempt to tow to avoid its grounding around the tip of Tremblet in the town of Saint-Philippe will be undertaken.
— Sebastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 3, 2022
A 73m tanker
The “Tresta Star” is a tanker used to transport petroleum products. Its length is 74 meters, its width 16 meters. Built in 2019, its loading capacity is 2,924 tons.