Nineteen crew members of the Spanish fishing vessel Pico Tresmares have been rescued after their ship caught fire and sank in the South Pacific. The incident took place on March 17, approximately 1,000 miles west of La Serena, Chile.
The Portuguese longliner Avo Musico responded to the distress call and successfully rescued the sailors despite stormy conditions. The Pico Tresmares, a 44.5-meter surface longliner based in Celeiro, Spain, departed from Vacamonte, Panama, on February 23.
While operating in the South Pacific, the vessel experienced a fire in the engine room. The flames spread quickly, making it impossible for the crew to control the situation.
A nearby fishing vessel, Playa Muino Vello, noticed the fire and alerted the ship’s owner, Pesquera Guadalquivir. The emergency was then reported to Spanish search and rescue authorities in Madrid, who coordinated with Chilean rescue services.
The crew abandoned the ship and boarded life rafts after realising the fire could not be contained. Shortly after, Pico Tresmares capsised and sank.
The Portuguese-flagged Avo Musico, which belongs to the Galician fishing group Pombo, was in the vicinity and responded to the distress call.
According to sources from the shipowner, the longliner reached the scene during the night and located the 19 fishermen in life rafts, exposed to intense rain and rough sea conditions.
The rescue efforts were challenging due to the storm, but all crew members were safely brought aboard Avo Musico. There were no reports of injuries.
The rescuers waited until daylight to confirm that Pico Tresmares had fully sunk.
After the rescue, the crew members remained on Avo Musico while arrangements were made for their transfer. The fishermen are expected to be moved to another vessel operated by Pesquera Guadalquivir, the Illa Gaveira.
However, before the transfer can take place, Avo Musico must first retrieve its fishing gear, a process expected to take approximately 30 hours.
Maritime rescue authorities confirmed that the rescued sailors are safe but have not disclosed details about the final destination of Avo Musico.
The Pico Tresmares was a steel-hulled fishing vessel, built in November 2005. It was affiliated with the Cooperative de Armadores de Vigo (ARVI) and regularly operated out of the Panama-based port of Vacamonte before heading to fishing grounds near Chile.