It is highly unlikely that there could be a massive iceberg off St Francis Bay, a top South African Weather Service marine researcher said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the crew of a fishing vessel, the Ntini, reported seeing a massive iceberg -- estimated at 25m in length and 25m high.

It was last seen at 6pm on Monday, 35 nautical miles south-east of St Francis Bay.

National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said there had only been one sighting thus far, and he could not confirm the find.

Air force pilots on the lookout for the iceberg on Tuesday did not see anything of the sort from the air. Lambinon said the air force did not specifically go looking for the iceberg.

"The air force was due to fly in that area anyway and not specifically to look for the iceberg. They were requested to keep a lookout for it, but they did not find or see any iceberg," said Lambinon.

Read more at: Mail & Guardian Online

Air Force pilots on the lookout of a massive iceberg in St Francis Bay on Tuesday did not see anything of the sort from the air, sea rescue officials said.

National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the Air Force did not specifically go looking for the iceberg.

"The Air Force was due to fly in that area anyway and not specifically to look for the iceberg. They were requested to keep a lookout for it, but they did not find or see any iceberg," said Lambinon.

"But, we must take into consideration, that they flew in unfavourable weather conditions where there were high waves," he said.

On Monday the crew of a fishing vessel, the Ntini, reported seeing a massive iceberg - estimated at 25 metres in length and 25 metres high.

It was last seen at 6pm on Monday, 35 nautical miles south east of St Francis Bay.

Lambinon said there had only been one sighting thus far and he could not confirm the find as the NSRI had not seen it themselves.

Meanwhile, SA Weather Service marine researcher Ian Hunter said an iceberg of this magnitude was unlikely.

"It's very unlikely because of the warm Agulhas current off the east coast," he said.

"The history of iceberg climatology in this area also shows that there has never been anything like this in the past," he said.

Hunter said the 'South African Sailing Direction', a book published by the Hydrographic Office under the South African Navy, mentions that there were a few iceberg sightings in the 1850s near Cape Town.

Read more at: Independent Online

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) on Tuesday could not confirm details relating to the sighting of an iceberg, off St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape on Monday.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said all the information they received on the iceberg had come from the crew of a fishing vessel, the Ntini.

He said the NSRI could not confirm the details as they had not been out to see the iceberg for themselves.

Lambinon said airforce officials were due to fly over the St Francis Bay area on Tuesday to monitor the iceberg.

"According to the crew of the Ntini, the iceberg is about 25m in length and 20m in height and was spotted south east of St Francis Bay, 35 nautical miles off shore," he said. It was first seen at 18:00 on Monday.

"Where the berg is now is anyone's guess - until we receive another report of a sighting".

The Ntini is due to dock in Mossel Bay on Friday morning.

"Once they dock, we hope to get more information from them," he said.

Source: News24.com

The following has been posted at the flyafrica.info forum:

On Saturday MRCC received a request from a trawler 220Nm off Durban to remove an injured sailor that had been stabbed by a fellow crew, in the neck and head.
15 Squadron took the challenge in their stride and soon had two Oryx heli's crewed, fueled and ready to fly. Two volunteers from Dbn NSRI were lowered onto the vessel, stabilised the casualty and then hoisted him back into the waiting heli. On the return trip he kept on passing out from shock.
For those that always question the system this was one for the record. MRCC were efficient and 15 Squadron were out of this world. They flew with extra fuel and were on the edge of their range. They got us there safely and brought us all home again. Landing the Oryx at St Augustines is always an eye opener and once again Graham did the airforce proud.
To all the crew from 15 Squadron. WELL DONE

Source: flyafrica.info

A fishing trawler captain who was allegedly stabbed in the head and neck by a fellow crewman on Saturday, has been airlifted to hospital and is in a stable condition, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.

"We don't know his age and we're not releasing his name," NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.

Earlier two SA Airforce helicopters, a rescue swimmer and a paramedic rendezvoused with the fishing trawler off Durban to airlift the vessel's captain.

The NSRI received reports from the trawler around 11:30.

The vessel is Taiwanese, the NSRI said.

Source: News24.com

All 18 crew members of the sinking vessel, Amul, are on their way to Durban - the last two having been taken from the ship on Friday night.

National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the two had remained on board to reportedly try and pump water off the carrier to try and prevent it sinking. It was listing at 11 degrees.

They left the vessel at 21:30 off Port St John's and are aboard another ship, the Rosa Tomassos.

The other 16 crew had been taken on board three other vessels.

The 154 metre Amul was en route from Port Elizabeth to Durban when it started taking on water and sent out a Mayday call at 14:00, said Lambinon.

It was not known why the vessel started taking on water.

Source: News24.com

A Peruvian, who suffered a suspected heart attack, was airlifted from a vessel off the Northern Cape coast to a Cape Town hospital at the weekend.

Oliverth Alfaro Rodrigues, 35, was plucked from the fishing vessel Maral, 50 nautical miles off Kleinsee on Saturday.

Bruce Bodmer, the National Sea Rescue Institute's (NSRI) air rescue station commander, said Rodrigues was hoisted in a stretcher on to the SA Air Force Oryx helicopter after he was stabilised aboard the vessel.

He was also treated on the way back to Ysterplaat Air Force Base, from where an ambulance transported him to the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.

Read more at: Independent Online

A Peruvian fisherman suspected to be suffering from a heart attack would be airlifted from a vessel off the Northern Cape coast on Saturday morning, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.

The 35-year-old man, suffering myocardial infarction symptoms, would be plucked from the 27-metre vessel Maral, 50 nautical miles out to sea off Kleinsee, said NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon.

The vessel called for medical assistance on Friday while fishing in deep seas off Namibia and beyond the range of a medical evacuation.

Read more at: Independent Online

The search for a 52-year-old American man who was swept out to sea while swimming at Dias Beach in Cape Point is still under way, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Friday.

Spokesperson Craig Lambonin said the NSRI continued the search at first light on Friday, after Thursday's efforts were unsuccessful.

Lambinon said the man's name had not yet been released but confirmed that his family was in Cape Town.

On Thursday a helicopter was used, but by night time the man had not been found.

Read more at: Independent Online

South Africa's National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) boarded a Korean fishing vessel at 3am on Thursday to treat the ship's chef, who had accidentally stabbed himself in the stomach in heavy seas.

The NSRI's station commander at Port Elizabeth, Ian Gray, said the station was placed on alert on Tuesday, "following a request for assistance from the ship's agents of the 47m Korean fishing vessel Oryong 353, reporting an abdominal evisceration injury to their 39-year-old Chinese chef on board the vessel after he had accidentally stabbed himself in the abdomen while slicing food".

The Oryong was fishing in rough seas more than 500 nautical miles (926km) off-shore of the Port Elizabeth coast at the time of the accident.

"It appears that the vessel rolled in heavy seas while the chef was slicing food, causing a knife to lacerate his abdomen. A provincial metro doctor gave advice to the crew to treat the injury while the vessel made her way to the nearest port, Port Elizabeth."

On Wednesday night, the NSRI launched a deep-sea rescue craft, with a Netcare 911 paramedic aboard, to rendezvous with the vessel 60 nautical miles (111km) south-east of Port Elizabeth.

Read more at: Mail & Guardian Online