Icelandic
officials are confirming that a court has ordered the captain and second mate
of a cargo ship that was sailing off the southern coast held after a suspected
collision with a fishing boat early on May 16; and the fisherman survived.
According
to the Coast Guard and the Search and Rescue Service, it was approximately 0300
local time on May 16 when a fishing boat came upon an object in the water.
According to the operator, he first thought it was a container and then
realized it was the boat of his friend of 40 years. The two men had headed out
earlier that evening fishing on their boats and the one was a few miles ahead
of his friend who ended up saving his life. Realizing it was an overturned boat he immediately placed an emergency
call and the Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter while the search and rescue
team was sailing toward the scene.
The fisherman reports his friend suddenly
appeared from under the boat in a survival suit. The suit however was
waterlogged, and the man had to cut it off his friend to retrieve him out of
the water.
The
survivor was taken by the Coast Guard to shore and he told them it happened
quickly but that he thought his fishing boat had been clipped by a passing
cargo ship. He was reported to be cold and wet but suffering no serious
injuries. He had been able to pull on
the survival suit as his boat capsized. The rescue services were also able to
recover the capsized fishing boat.
The
court ordered the captain and second mate who had been on duty Thursday morning
arrested with a detention of up to four weeks while the investigation
continues.
The Longdawn departed
from Iceland on Friday 17 May on its return trip to Rotterdam.