Distress at sea: Five people rescued from a sinking motorboat

An engine failure led to a life-threatening incident off the coast of Cuxhaven on Friday evening. At around 6.15 pm, the skipper of a motorboat contacted the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Bremen. There were two adults and three children on board the boat.

Following an engine failure, the boat – approximately 13 metres long – drifted towards a stone breakwater. The hull was damaged in the process and large amounts of water poured in. Eventually, the motorboat ran aground on the stone breakwater that marks the navigation channel for larger vessels.

Sea rescue cruiser interrupts ongoing operation

​The rescue coordination centre alerted the DGzRS station in Cuxhaven and a search and rescue helicopter from the German Navy. The sea rescue cruiser “Anneliese Kramer” was already on the scene at that point. The crew were towing a two-masted vessel around 27 metres long, which was unable to manoeuvre due to engine problems. To enable the operation to continue, the sea rescue team disconnected the tow line. The sailing vessel then dropped anchor and waited for the return of the rescue cruiser.

At the scene of the accident, the rescue team approached the stricken vessel in their support boat, the “Mathias”. The crew came alongside and deployed a bilge pump. However, the water was coming in too fast and the waves were already crashing over the side, causing the boat to slowly list to one side.

Those affected had to abandon their motorboat

The sea rescue team abandoned the boat and took the five people on board the rescue craft. The survivors were in shock but unharmed. The crew then brought the shipwrecked people safely ashore. A small rubber dinghy containing the survivors’ essential belongings was towed along. At the harbour, the rescuers handed the five people over to the ambulance service. The helicopter that had been called out was no longer required.

Investigations and recovery

The Cuxhaven Water Police have taken charge of the investigation into the cause of the accident. The owner must decide whether to have the sunken motorboat salvaged. The costs incurred are usually borne by the boat owner or their insurance company. Once the operation was complete, the sea rescue team returned to the waiting two-masted vessel and brought it back to Cuxhaven late in the evening.

See also:

• ​Sea Rescue: Filming for Season 3 has begun
• Maritime disaster: Why did the ‘Bayesian’ sink so quickly? A ZDF documentary reconstructs the disaster
• ​Unmanned boat at anchor: this is how dangerous a swimming break can become

Concurrent operation in Bremerhaven

Almost at the same time, the sea rescue team from the Bremerhaven station was dispatched. A seaman on board the Cypriot-flagged bunker vessel Kairos had sustained a facial injury. The 117-metre-long vessel was anchored off Nordenham in Blexen Roadstead. The 35-year-old Latvian required immediate medical attention. The crew of the sea-rescue cruiser “Theo Fischer” took the injured man on board in calm seas. At the rescue cruiser’s berth, the sea-rescue crew handed the patient over to an ambulance.