The Prefecture of Guyana announced this Friday, July 17, in a press release that it had suspended the search for the Saint Vincent VII, a Trinidad and Tobago-flagged fishing vessel that went missing after a fire at sea. The alert received on July 14 by the Antilles-Guyana Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (CROSS) came two days after last contact with the crew.
At its last known location, the 22-metre vessel with six people on board was more than 200 nautical miles (370 km) off the coast of Guyana. It was not equipped with an emergency beacon.
The search remained unsuccessful
Once the alert is received, the message “ mandatory relay ” was broadcast and vessels in the area were asked to participate in the search. Two reconnaissance flights by Guyana Air Force CASA aircraft, on July 16 and 17, failed to locate the boat.
Due to the lack of new information, active searches were suspended. However, CROSS will continue to monitor ships operating in this sector until July 24.
CROSS Antilles-Guyane reminds that in case of doubt regarding the situation of the vessel, it is important to sound the alarm as quickly as possible. He can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 196, the maritime emergency number, or via VHF on channel 16.