Shipping boat sinks in Baltic Sea

  • 2008-12-03
  • TBT staff in cooperation with BNS

Rescue crews have yet to find the ships missing crew.

RIGA- Rescuers have yet to finding the missing crew members of theLatvian fishing boat that sank in the Baltic Sea off Latvia's southwestern portof Liepaja during the night of Dec. 2, however rescue works will be continued.

National Armed Forces (NAF) spokesman Normunds Stafeckis told BNS that the Air Force helicopter hasceased rescue operation returned to Lielvarde.

State Border Guard helicopter will continue rescue operation from air on themorning of Dec. 4.

Border Guard Ventspils department head Aleksandrs Volkovs told BNS that the helicopter is on the wayfrom Riga to Ventspils and then it will head to the place of the accident. Twoborder guard vessels will also be involved in the operation if needed.

The rescue operation in the sea is taken over by Naval Force vessel Varonis,replacing another ship Virsaitis.

According to the National Armed Forces (NAF), rescue works were resumed incooperation with the Naval Forces and helicopters, but were unsuccessful. Theonly finding on Dec. 2 was belongings of the Beverina ship washed ashore andthe empty raft that the Naval Force ship had thrown out to save the crew.

At present there is no clear information about evacuation of the crew. TheNaval Force reported that they repeatedly offered evacuation of the crew, butthe crew hesitated and the ship sank in a couple of minutes.

The Maritime Administration investigators have launched a probe on theaccident, while the State Police has launched a criminal procedure.

Beverina had seen troubles already earlier. In September 2001 a fire brokeout on the vessel while it was at port.

The State Environment Service naval and territorial waters department deputydirector, Felikss Klagiss, told BNSthat Beverina has been caught poaching four times in the Latvian waters andonce in the Polish waters this year.

The illegal loot included a few hundred kilograms to four tons of cod. Theenvironment authority has imposed fines on the ship, but they have not beenpaid yet.

Beverina has been "formally" engaged in fishing in the past sixmonths, but in fact had been looking for scrap metal in the sea.

The Latvian fishing boat sank in the Baltic Sea off Latvia's southwesternport of Liepaja Tuesday night, and so far efforts to find and rescue the ship'screw have been unsuccessful. Information about the number of people on boardthe Beverina has been conflicting -- the naval forces reported that the crewconsisted of six fishermen.