“All Accounted For”: Dramatic Sea Rescue After Fishing Trawler Burns Off Gqeberha Coast

A night that could have ended very differently

Just before sunset on Monday evening, a routine fishing trip turned into a race against time off the Gqeberha coastline. A local trawler, Silver Dorado, was barely a nautical mile offshore near Noordhoek when flames broke out onboard, forcing its entire crew to abandon ship.

By the end of the night, all 21 fishermen were safely rescued, shaken, but alive, thanks to a fast-moving response from fellow vessels at sea and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

In a city with deep ties to the ocean, the rescue has sparked both relief and renewed concern about safety at sea.

A skipper and 20 fishermen were forced to abandon ship on Monday night after their vessel caught fire, just offshore of Noordhoek in Gqeberha @NSRI Video: Supplied pic.twitter.com/8In17OZJou

AlgoaFMNews (@AlgoaFMNews) January 13, 2026

Mayday call sparks rapid response

According to NSRI Gqeberha station commander Mark Dawson, the alarm was raised just before 6pm when a Mayday distress call crackled over marine radio channel 16. The Silver Dorado’s skipper reported a fire onboard and warned that the crew was preparing to abandon the vessel.

The call was quickly relayed by Telkom Maritime Radio Services, triggering an all-ships alert. Fishing vessels already working nearby immediately diverted to assist.

One of the first on scene, the fishing vessel Leguga, launched its own life raft to reach crew members who were already in the water near the burning trawler.

Fishermen rescued by fellow seafarers

As more vessels arrived, a coordinated rescue unfolded at sea. By the time NSRI teams assessed the situation, all 21 crew members had been pulled from the water or recovered from life rafts.

Remarkably, none of the fishermen required medical treatment after being checked by emergency services. All are believed to be South African nationals.

For many locals, the incident highlighted the unspoken solidarity of the fishing community, where crews rely on each other when things go wrong far from shore.

Fire spreads as trawler drifts toward Cape Recife

While lives were saved, the Silver Dorado itself was left burning as it drifted toward the reef near Cape Recife. NSRI rescue craft monitored the vessel’s movement on behalf of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), tracking its drift and potential risks.

A salvage and spill-response team has since been appointed by the vessel’s owners, though recovery efforts were slowed by darkness and the dangerous reef conditions.

Questions remain as investigation looms

The cause of the fire is still unknown. SAMSA, together with police, will investigate what sparked the blaze and how it spread so quickly through the vessel while most of the crew were resting below deck.

On social media, South Africans praised the calm actions of the skipper for managing to send out the Mayday call in time, with many calling the rescue “nothing short of miraculous”.

In a country where commercial fishing remains a vital and risky, livelihood, Monday’s events serve as a sobering reminder: at sea, preparedness and swift teamwork can mean the difference between tragedy and survival.

{Source: The Citizen}

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