28 people rescued, 17 others missing
The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning when the launch ran aground during a diving and safari trip -One of the coral reef areas
A search and rescue operation is underway after the Red Sea liveaboard Sea Story sank off the coast of Marsa Alam this morning. A number of the divers and crew are still missing.
Different Nationalities on Board
According to the latest reports, there were four British divers on board, two Americans, two Belgians, one Chinese, four Egyptians, one Finnish, one Irish, two Norwegians, two Polish divers, two Slovakians, five Spaniards, and two Swiss divers.
A statement by the Red Sea Governorate
A statement by the Red Sea Governorate confirmed that the Red Sea Governorate Control Center received a report at 5:30 am from the rescue operations room, stating that a distress signal had been received from a member of the tourist launch “Sea Story”, which was on a diving trip that departed from Porto Ghalib Port in Marsa Alam from November 24 to November 29, and was scheduled to return to Hurghada Marina
Rescue of 28 people
The Red Sea Governor, Major General Amr Hanafi, later announced the rescue of 28 people and the continuation of the search for 17 others.
The owner of the tourist launch stated that his boat was on a diving trip from Marsa Alam to the Shaab Satayeh area and lost contact with everyone on board the boat and the rescue services were informed of the incident.
Maximum level of readiness
The governor had announced raising the maximum level of readiness and coordination with all concerned parties. The search and rescue teams began their operations using a helicopter and the naval unit, the frigate Al-Fateh, which moved from the port of Berenice towards the distress site, according to Egyptian media.
Arrival of the frigate “Al-Fateh”
The governor of the Red Sea explained that the search and rescue plane was able to transport some of the survivors by plane to receive the necessary medical care, while the rest of the survivors were secured at the site until the arrival of the frigate “Al-Fateh”, which is moving to transport them to safety.
Sea Story
Sea Story departed from Port Ghalib on Sunday, 24 November with 31 passengers ‘of varying nationality’ and 14 crew on board. The trip was scheduled to end in Hurghada on 29 November.
The 44m/144ft wooden-hulled Sea Story was owned by Dive Pro Liveaboard, based in Hurghada. She was a new vessel built in 2022 and fitted out for 36 passengers in 18 cabins.
| 2022 | |
| Boat Design Category: | Motor Yacht |
| Port of Registry: | Safaga, Egypt. |
| Dimensions: | Length 44 m, Width 9 m |
| Hull Material: | Wood |
| Superstructures Material: | Wood |
| Crew: 12 Persons: | Captain, Mechanical Engineer, 2 Chief Cook, 2 Waiters, And 6 Sailors. |
| Engines: | 2 x Doosan, each one 1000 HP |
| Speed: | 14 knots |
| Generators: | 3 (2 x 125 KW – 1 x 100 KW) |
| Compressors: | 3 x Coltri 315 lt. |
| Nitrox: | Nitrox System |
| Zodiac: | 1 Speed boat 6.5 m, outboard motor 100 HP each. |
| 1 Speed boat 5.5 m, outboard motor 40 HP each. |
Marsa Alam is a popular destination for tourists on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast and is surrounded by diving spots, including renowned coral reefs.
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