The Blue Ocean A vessel, "at the owner's request, will be towed to the port of Cagliari." Its arrival is expected late Friday morning. The crew on board is "in good health and the situation is currently under control," the Coast Guard said.
Two tugboats were deployed to try to rescue the ship that had crashed off the rocks of Punta Spalmatore di Fuori, near Carloforte . Weather conditions significantly complicated the operation.
The operations began from the Maritime District Office of Carloforte and were then taken over by the Cagliari Coast Guard, which coordinated the dispatch of two patrol boats to the area, the CP 869 of Carloforte and the CP 812 of Sant'Antioco, and the harbor tugboat stationed in Portovesme, suitable for maneuvering small tonnage vessels.
Due to strong winds and rough seas, with waves up to 5 meters high, attempts to attach and move the vessel with the tugboat were ineffective due to the breakage of four towing cables. Therefore, a larger tugboat was coordinated from the Sarroch harbor. The goal was to move the vessel to a calmer area of sea in the Gulf of Palmas near Sant'Antioco.
The crew – made up of 33 people – is still on board : while the stern was approaching the rocks of the promontory, with the risk of sinking and dispersing the fuel into the sea, it was decided to abandon ship . The Operations Room had dispatched an AW139 helicopter from the Coast Guard's 4th Helicopter Section and an AW139 helicopter from the Italian Air Force from Decimomannu , but due to extreme weather conditions (50-knot winds), it was not possible to proceed with the evacuation safely . The report that there were livestock on board has been denied.
The situation is now under control: maneuvers have allowed the vessel to orient itself parallel to the coast, and the anchors have stabilized. The tugboat Vincenzino O. of Rimorchiatori Sardi is also on site and, with the support of Coast Guard patrol boats, has moored the vessel and is beginning assistance operations.
The SOS was sent out during the night: the 116-meter cargo ship Blue Ocean A, flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a Caribbean country, was traveling between Great Bitter Lake, in Egypt, and Cartagena, in Spain when it suffered an engine failure, while the westerly wind was making it swing dangerously towards the southwest coast of the island of San Pietro.
(Fabio Murru collaborated)