Names of 5 seafarers released following fatal Mossel Bay tugboat capsizing

The names of the seafarers who lost their lives in the fatal incident involving the tug Umkhuseli off the coast of Mossel Bay, have been released, reports Mossel Bay Advertiser.

African Marine Solutions’ (Amsol) issued a statement on Thursday (October 1), confirming that those involved in the incident, which took place the previous morning, were its employees.

“At this difficult time, we ask you to join the Amsol family and maritime community in honouring our colleagues, their families and loved ones as we hold them up amidst our shared grief.”

The company said it remembered Simphiwe ‘Simcard’ Simayi, Akhona Mlaba, Ditaba Leoto, Zolile ‘Ronnie’ Mlibaziso and Sibonile Qalani “with dignity, with respect and with deep gratitude for the lives they lived and the impact they made on us all”.

Mlaba was from Durban, while Simayi, Leoto, Mlibaziso and Qalani were all from Cape Town.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said in its statement, also released on Thursday, that the preliminary information indicated that the incident began when a crew member working on deck reportedly fell overboard.

“In response, a fast rescue boat [FRB] carrying four crew members was launched from the vessel to recover the individual. The FRB subsequently capsized, resulting in a total of five persons entering the water,” Samsa said.

Although the South African Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre’s official active search-and-rescue operation was concluded on Thursday, Amsol’s search-and-recovery operation carried on until 10:00 on Sunday (October 4), the company confirmed to Mossel Bay Advertiser. 

Simayi, Mlaba and Leoto’s bodies were recovered on the day of the incident, while Mlibaziso and Qalani remain missing.

“Our colleagues who remain missing are presumed deceased, and their families have been informed,” Amsol said.

“Akhona was an officer, Simphiwe was an engineer, Ditaba was an able seafarer [AB], Ronnie was an oiler and Sibonile was an AB,” the company confirmed.

It said its priority remains to support the deceased’s families at this very difficult time. 

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