On Thursday, September 26, at 4:10 am, the CROSS-AG (Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue Antilles-Guyana) received an alert from the tug "Bourbon Rhode", from the Marseilles company Bourbon. The ship, 50 meters long with 14 crew members is, at that time, located about 2200 km from Martinique and just over 110 km north-northwest of Cyclone Lorenzo, with a significant waterway which compromises its stability.
While the crew is preparing to evacuate the ship in very heavy seas, the CROSS-AG asks a vessel, the "SSI Excellent", which is 370 km away, to divert to assist the "Bourbon Rhode" . In the morning of Thursday, a crisis meeting was held at CROSS-AG, in the presence of Franck Robine, prefect of Martinique, Admiral Jean Hausermann, assistant to the Government Delegate for State action at sea, and Philippe Bricquer, director of CROSS-AG.
A Falcon 50 of the French Navy, dispatched from Dakar, flew over the emission zone of the beacon of the ship “Bourbon Rhode” and made it possible to locate a life raft with three men on board. These were recovered by a merchant ship sent to the area by the CROSS-AG. The survivors confirmed that the “Bourbon Rhode” sank on Thursday, September 26. The research is mainly focused on the three other liferafts of the ship, with the participation of an aircraft from the NHC (National Hurricane Center) and the surveillance frigate "Ventôse" of the French Navy and its type helicopter " Panther ”.
Saturday, early in the night, the NHC plane spotted an overturned semi-rigid probably from the "Bourbon Rhode". The night having prevented its relocation by a maritime means, the plane of the National Navy was able to reposition the boat at sunrise on Sunday September 29. A merchant ship, engaged in the operation, was responsible for recovering the boat. This new discovery has enabled CROSS-AG to refine the aeromaritime system, which includes, in addition to the means put in place by the State, five merchant ships.
In a press release published on Monday, September 30, the Bourbon Group said that the body of one of the eleven missing sailors was spotted by one of the planes, and recovered by a ship that was participating in the research. Rescue operations continue to find the other members of the crew. _RM
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