Crew rescued from burning Venezuelan ship

The Navy Colombia has rescued 29 crew members from an illegal Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel that was burning in the inner bay of Buenaventura, the neighboring country’s main port on the Pacific Ocean.

The Taurus I boat caught fire due to a short circuit in the kitchen, the Navy said in a statement Tuesday, adding that among those rescued were 14 Venezuelans, 5 Mexicans, 5 Colombians, 2 Ecuadorians, 2 Peruvians and 1 Costa Rican.

“The incident took place on Monday night when officers from the Maritime Monitoring and Traffic Station of the General Maritime Directorate alerted the staff of the Buenaventura Coast Guard Station about a fire that was taking place on board.

“Two rapid reaction units of the Colombian Navy were immediately sent to the emergency site, which evacuated the 29 crew members on board in time,” the information added.

Those rescued, according to the Navy, were transferred to the Buenaventura Harbor Master’s Dock, where they were treated by first aid medical personnel.

Two of them required special medical attention and were taken to a hospital in the port city.

Fire control

In an attempt to control the fire on the boat, the navy arrived in the area and took action with three tugboats.

The General Maritime Directorate will conduct an investigation to establish the cause of the incident at the time, manner and place.

“We anticipate potential pollution events that may be generated, so we are implementing procedures and preparing ourselves to control spills in any case, thus mitigating or avoiding damage to the marine environment,” said Javier Gómez, captain of the port. A native of Buenaventura.

the ship Illegal fishing

Crew members of the Taurus I were wanted by the National Commission for Aquaculture and Fisheries, which accuses them of carrying out fishing activities in a protected area in Bahía Solano, in the Department of Chocó, in the Pacific region.

In that region, these practices are prohibited, which is why the boat remains immobile in Buenaventura Bay while investigations are carried out.

On August 26, the boat was reported fishing in the protected area, affecting dolphins caught in trawl nets.