It’s a race against time that has just started off Jersey to try to find three sailors who disappeared in the sinking of their boat on Thursday morning after a collision with a ferry. According to the Channel Island Coast Guard, the collision occurred between a ferry, the Commodore Goodwilland a Jersey fishing vessel shortly after 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
“There were three people on board the fishing vessel: the captain and two crew members,” the Coast Guard said in a statement posted on Twitter. “The Jersey Coastguard continues to coordinate a major search and rescue operation,” they say. They specify that they have deployed rescue boats from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and two French rescue helicopters. “Many local fishing vessels also helped in the search, as well as drones,” the coast guard continued.
The French Navy is mobilizing resources
The maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea confirmed around 4 p.m. Thursday on Twitter that searches are “still in progress” with the arrival at the scene of a Dragon helicopter from Civil Security and two aerial devices from the National Navy. “The ship is presumed to have sunk in around 40 m depth, which requires specialized diving means”, specify the Jersey coastguards.
A ship working on the off-shore wind farm site in Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor) must arrive on site accompanied by remote control vehicles to confirm the location of the ship.