What Crew Members Say About Stolt-Acer

On April 23, 2012, the tanker 'Jo Acer', traveling from Le Havre to Algeciras, took part in a critical search and rescue mission following the sinking of the former 20-meter harbor tug 'Aquarius', which was built in 1965. The incident occurred in treacherous sea conditions off the French coast, leaving one crew member missing and feared dead. The tug, which was en route from La Coruna to Plymouth, encountered severe difficulties early that morning, prompting it to send a distress signal at 6:20 AM, indicating it was sinking and taking in water. Tragically, ten minutes later, the 'Aquarius' disappeared beneath the waves. Among the crew were two men from Wembury and Plymouth, who managed to escape into a life raft. Sadly, a third crew member, believed to be from the Derby area, was unable to secure himself a place in the raft and was subsequently lost at sea. A French rescue helicopter swiftly responded to the incident, locating the two survivors near Ushant Island at 7:30 AM British time. They were airlifted to safety and transported to a military hospital in Brest, where they received treatment for hypothermia and shock. Multiple vessels were redirected to the area for the search operation, while aircraft scoured the skies for the missing individual until nightfall.