Andrew de Kock, NSRI Simonstown duty coxswain, said: On Saturday morning, 18 January, NSRI Simonstown launched an investigation after a survival immersion suit was located floating offshore of St James Beach by a public member at around 07h30.
The survival suit was recovered by Muizenberg security officers and handed into the care of NSRI Simonstown.
As the morning progressed more survival immersion suits were reported adrift in False Bay.
2 of these suits were located offshore of between Seal Island and Roman Rock Lighthouse, by the commercial charter vessel, White Pointer II, who recovered the 2 survival immersion suits.
Ski-Boat Mobile contacted NSRI Simonstown duty controllers reporting that White Pointer II had now come across another suit adrift – while returning from Seal Island the vessel White Pointer II recovered a 3rd survival immersion suit offshore of Fish Hoek Beach.
The additional 3 immersion suits were brought to NSRI Simonstown by White Pointer II.
A local surf-ski paddler, who lives above St James, reported noticing a survival immersion suit adrift shoreward about 300 meters offshore of St James Beach.
An NSRI Simonstown rescue craft was launched and searched for that suit.
Later, a CoCT (City of Cape Town) Law Enforcement Marine Unit jet-ski recovered that suit and handed the suit into the care of NSRI.
Concerned that these suits, by that stage 5 suits, being located and recovered adrift offshore in False Bay, may be related to a vessel in distress, NSRI Coast Watchers around False Bay, NSRI Strandfontein and NSRI Gordons Bay, were alerted to join NSRI Simonstown keeping a sharp lookout.
Ski-Boat Mobile alerted their fishing fleet, commercial and recreational boats, at sea in that area and beyond, to keep a sharp lookout while private and commercial craft, in and around False Bay, spread the message throughout the local maritime community for vessels at sea to keep a sharp lookout.
CoCT Law Enforcement Marine Unit, Police Sea Borderline Control, Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services), NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), WC Government Health EMS Metro Control and WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) and the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) were requested to assist in the investigations and to alert the maritime community and marine traffic to be on the sharp look out while NSRI Simonstown, assisted by NSRI EOC, continued to investigate.
Minimal markings on the survival immersion suits hampered our investigation.
ARCC (Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre) was alerted and Cape Town International ATC (Air Traffic Control) assisted by requesting commercial and private aircraft taking off, or flying, over the False Bay area, to keep a sharp lookout for any possible debris field.
Cape Town Helicopters assisted NSRI by alerting all Cape Peninsula helicopter companies, with helicopter aircraft flying around the Cape Peninsula, to keep a sharp look out for any possible debris field.
NSRI EOC contacted the Chinese manufacturers of the survival immersion suits, in China, and they assisted in trying to identify where these suits may have been supplied to (perhaps the name of a motor vessel or a sailing yacht) and although that led us relatively to a dead end – as it emerged that they could have been resold a number of times, as is usual for this type of maritime rescue equipment, – NSRI has commended the Chinese manufacturers for their extensive efforts, on a Saturday night, in China, for trying their best to help us in our extensive investigations.
No reports of any vessels in distress, missing or adrift, or not under command. had been reported or was established by NSRI EOC and by NSRI operations duty controllers.
NSRI Kommetjie, using advanced search data technology, was able to determine the track of the immersion suits, based on where they were found – tracking back 48 hours, taking into account sea drift patterns and wind speed and direction, leading to search area to the vicinity of origin, if they had been adrift for the past 48 hours, to as far back as Rocky Banks, about 40 nautical miles out to sea, beyond False Bay.
No signs of any debris field, that may be related to any vessel having been in any distress, has been located along this search track.
By about 18h00, on Saturday early evening, investigations simmered on the knowledge that there remained no vessels unaccounted for, and all who were assisting in this extensive operation were thanked – although we continued to monitor the matter throughout Saturday night.
On Sunday morning, 19 January, Ski-Boat Mobile reported that a vessel had contacted them after they had happened upon a rope coil adrift offshore of Millers Point. This is being collected for investigation by NSRI Simonstown who are conducting routine training this morning, but it is not suspected to be related.
NSRI commend the immense efforts deployed by all involved to assist in this matter that remains a mystery.
The swift reaction by everyone, who dropped everything to quickly and effectively assist in this extensive investigation, to thoroughly rule out that there may be persons or a vessel in distress, is highly commendable.
Thoughts are leaning towards the possibility that these survival immersion suits, manufactured in 2015, may well have been discarded in the ocean by a passing vessel, although it remains unknown. We will continue to monitor, but we are cautiously optimistic that they are not related to any kind of disaster at sea.
NSRI are appealing to the maritime community, fishermen (anglers), and the public, around False Bay and beyond, to report anything further that may be found that may be related to this case, to contact NSRI EOC – 0870949774.
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