What Crew Members Say About Mar-De-Galicia

The National Police and Customs officers erected a containment wall after the sinking of the fishing vessel ' Nueva Santa Irene', carrying 11 tons of diesel in O Grove (Pontevedra).. The mussel boat was loaded with fuel drums, which fell into the sea when it sank on Feb 10. There was no evidence of pollution in the Arousa estuary, a reconaissance flieght by the helicopter Helimer HS401, based in Santiago de Compostela, confirmed on Feb 11, which flew over the area at around 6:00 p.m., carrying out a wide search pattern over the area between O Grove, the Illa de Arousa, and the central part of the estuary, opposite Vilanova at low altitude. The ' Nueva Santa Irene',had departed from the port of Rianxo (A Coruña) on Feb 10 at midday, and the alert about the incident reached the Emergency Services around 6:30 p.m. A member of the public reported seeing an overturned boat next to a mussel raft, where the people on board had climbed aboard. Shortly afterwards, members of the Municipal Emergency Service confirmed that the vessel had listed while loading cargo and capsized. The crew managed to get onto a raft without injury, and the boat eventually sank completely. The local emergency boat rescued the three crew members safely. At that moment, Salvamento Marítimo, the Maritime Authority of Vilagarcía and other personnel belonging to the Galician Coast Guard were mobilized. Initially, it was believed that the people were involved in mussel farming, but the large number of diesel drums raised concerns. On the afternoon of Feb 11, underwater specialists from the Civil Guard traveled to the site of the sunken wreck to inspect it. An investigation into possible links to drug trafficking of the "bateeiro" was launched. The mussel boat had been operating without any legal permits, departed from the north side of the estuary and sank opposite the Punta Moreiras sculpture complex. The fishing vessel was not carrying any gear, nor did it intend to work in mussel farming, which was impossible, given the severe storm. It also lacked a crew skilled in maritime techniques, consisting of two residents of Rianxo, allegedly linked to drugs, and a foreign national who barely spoke a few words of Spanish. Over the past two days, the SAR boat 'Salvamar Sargadelos' and the 'Mar de Galicia', operated by the Galician Coast Guard (part of the Regional Ministry of the Sea), proceeded to the site of the shipwreck. On the morning of Feb 11, personnel from the Galician Coast Guard were at the port of Meloxo to contain the diesel spill and retrieve the deployed containment boom. Report with photo: https://www.elespanol.com/treintayseis/actualidad/o-salnes/20260211/no-localiza-indicios-contaminacion-hundirse-buque-litros-gasoil-grove-pontevedra/1003744126549_0.amp.html

On May 14, 2025, at 6.15 a.m., the Spanish fishing vessel 'Nuevo Mariña', measuring 8.76 meters in length, caught fire more than three nautical miles off Monte Louro with two crew members on board. The twin brothers, Santiago (vice-captain of the Fisterra guild) and Alberto Castro Romero.were rescued by anoteher fishing vessel, the 'La Chainza' from Porto do Son, and transferred onto the 'Salvamar Régulus', which had been mobilized by the CCS Finisterre of Salvamento Marítimo, and which coordinated the response. It took them to Porto do Son. Alberto suffered burns to his face and hands and was transported by helicopter to the University Hospital Complex of A Coruña (CHUAC), where he remained in the Burns Unit. Santiago, the vessel's owner, was taken to Barbanza Hospital but has since been released with minor injuries. According to the owner, everything went very quickly. He was in bed and his brother saw a puff of smoke coming out of the engine. They barely had time to launch the liferaft, because the fire was already spreading all over the ship. The 'Mar de Galicia' carried out fire extinguishing operations, but finally reported that the fiberglass boat had sunk. Besides the Galician Health Emergency Service-061, Salvamento Marítimo, the Galician Coast Guard Service and agents from the Civil Guard participated in the rescue operation. The cause of the fire was unknown, but the hypothesis of a short circuit was being considered. The Xunta (Galician Regional Government) has activated the Territorial Contingency Plan for Accidental Marine Pollution in Galicia (Camgal), at its medium level, due tothe considerable" diesel spill caused by sinking of the 'Nueva Mariña'. The Regional Minister of the Sea, Alfonso Villares, has written to the Government Delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, requesting the activation of the National Maritime Plan, which has indeed been implemented "in the alert phase." Reports with photos: https://www.elcorreogallego.es/barbanza-muros-noia/2025/05/14/rescatan-tripulantes-pesquero-nueva-marina-117374886.html https://cadenaser.com/galicia/2025/05/14/naufragio-en-muros-rescatados-los-dos-tripulantes-del-nueva-marina-radio-galicia/ https://www.laopinioncoruna.es/galicia/2025/05/14/vertido-hundimiento-pesquero-nueva-marina-117406139.html