The fishing vessel Argos Georgia sank east of the Falkland Islands, leaving about 27 crew members stranded on lifeboats since Monday afternoon, July 22. They have been awaiting rescue amidst severe weather conditions that have complicated recovery efforts. Although the Argentine government has jurisdiction in these waters, they are unable to initiate rescue operations without British oversight.
The 54-meter vessel was engaged in black hake fishing and sank around 4 PM local time after the crew attempted to address a hull breach that allowed seawater to flood the ship, creating a dire situation. According to reports from the local population, the sinking occurred approximately 200 nautical miles from land.
Argentine Navy sources explained to PERFIL that while this area theoretically falls under their Search and Rescue (SAR) jurisdiction, they cannot operate there without compromising future territorial claims. If they respond under British authority, it sets a troubling precedent, but failing to assist when requested poses serious humanitarian implications.
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The Argentine Foreign Ministry recently faced another setback by failing to include a sovereign claim in discussions at Mercosur. SAR zones are specific maritime areas overseen by a country in the event of a rescue mission, sources clarified.
A statement from the Falkland Islands government reported, “After an incident yesterday afternoon about 200 nautical miles east of Stanley that caused uncontrollable flooding, 27 crew members of the Argos Georgia were forced to abandon ship shortly after 4 PM local time. The crew members boarded lifeboats. The BFSAI A-400M ‘Atlas’ was the first asset on the scene and was able to track and report the position of the lifeboats.”
Additionally, British military aircraft and NATO operations continued throughout the night to track the drifting lifeboats. The patrol vessel FPV Lilibet and two fishing boats operating in the area also joined the search.
The rescue operation faced extreme challenges, as a search and rescue helicopter attempted to retrieve the crew members yesterday afternoon but was unsuccessful due to challenging weather conditions. The helicopter had to return to base to refuel before making a second attempt. However, worsening weather led to the suspension of rotary-wing SAR operations. As of this morning, the adverse weather means that the search area is currently deemed unsuitable for helicopter operations, though conditions will continue to be reassessed for potential resumption of efforts as soon as possible.
According to Faro de Vigo, a media outlet from Galicia, Spain, there were ten Spanish crew members aboard the vessel, mostly from Galicia, along with eight Russians, two Uruguayans, two Peruvians, and five Indonesians.
The Argos Georgia was built in 2018 at the Tersan shipyard in Yalova, Turkey, which is now one of the leading shipyards in Europe.
Source: https://www.perfil.com/noticias/sociedad/se-hundio-un-buque-pesquero-cerca-de-malvinas-y-buscan-27-tripulantes-en-medio-de-graves-condiciones-climaticas.phtml
