Updated, Wednesday, 10.15 a.m.
Twenty-seven crew members of a fishing longliner were stranded in extreme weather in the South Atlantic Ocean on Monday afternoon after their fishing liner went down. As of Wednesday morning, nine dead bodies and 14 survivors have been retrieved from the choppy waters and four are still missing.
The Argos Georgia sank 200 miles from the Malvinas Islands and Ushuaia’s search and rescue (SAR) center is carrying out the rescue operation. According to the Spanish government’s delegation in Galicia, ten Spaniards — eight of them from Galicia —, eight Russians, five Indonesians, two Uruguayans, and two Peruvians were aboard the ship. The Argos Georgia’s flag state is St. Helena.
According to a communiqué by the Argentine Navy, the crew was forced to abandon the Argos Georgia following an accident that led to “uncontrolled flooding.” The reason for the flooding is still unknown and will be investigated once the rescue operation is finished, the Galicia delegation wrote in an X post.
The accident happened within Argentina’s SAR area, but the Malvinas Islands’ government received the initial alarm given its geographic proximity.
According to Malvinas authorities, a Chilean fishing vessel and a United Kingdom patrol boat were on their way to the islands, carrying 14 survivors and nine bodies. They are expected to arrive there at 1 p.m., Argentina time.
The rescue operation to retrieve the remaining four crew members is still ongoing, as bad weather has slightly relented and is allowing the search via water, air, and satellites led by Malvinas. The Spanish government is also providing assistance and has committed to repatriating the deceased Spaniards, authorities said.
Argentina’s Ushuaia navy base is the designated SAR coordination center for that area. The Malvinas capital, Puerto Argentino — Stanley for the islanders — responds directly to the Ushuaia center. Given the islands are not a country, and don’t have a SAR area of their own, responsibility falls to Argentina.
“Fortunately, Argentina and the U.K. agreed a long time ago that [search and rescue] cooperation is beyond any kind of political dispute related to the sovereignty claim,” said Fernando Morales, president of the Argentine Navy League, a civil organization that groups Navy and Navy Police members.
“Puerto Argentino must inform its superior, the Ushuaia navy center, about the emergency. Immediately, Ushuaia must order the use of the resources closest to the place,” he said. “The authority over that area will always be Argentina’s, despite who has control over the islands.”
Two fishing boats from Chile and the United Kingdom, plus a fishing patrol vessel from the Malvinas government responded to the call for help. Argentina does not currently have any ships near that area.
Two aircraft were deployed from the Malvinas Islands and arrived at the position, but it was impossible to recover casualties or survivors due to 130 km/h winds and 8-meter-high waves.
A British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) aircraft was first to on the scene and to report the accident. Along with a Royal Air Force airplane, they stayed in the area to watch the crew overnight.
Editorial disclaimer: Although the UK refers to the territory as the “Falklands Islands,” Argentina strongly contests this name. The Buenos Aires Herald uses “Malvinas” to refer to the islands.