Senior Reporter
What began as a story of hope after the six crew members of the St Vincent VII were found alive took a tragic turn yesterday, with one of the rescued fishermen, Trinidadian national Anthony Murray, dying aboard the vessel that saved them.
According to reports, the six fishermen survived nine days adrift in a life raft after the St Vincent VII reportedly sank off the coast of French Guiana following a fire on board the vessel.
Guardian Media understands the Marvel Kite rescued the fishermen on Tuesday and began providing emergency medical care while en route to Barbados, where it was initially scheduled to dock yesterday. However, the crew subsequently changed their final destination to St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The rescued crew members were identified as Trinidadians Murray, 65, Shannon Mohammed, 39, Kevin Fonteillo, 46 and Alex Burnley, 38; Guyana’s Eshwar Persaud, 39, the vessel’s captain, and St Vincent and the Grenadines national Rupert Charles, 55.
However, in an update yesterday from the vessel to Barbados maritime authorities, which Guardian Media oversaw, it was revealed that Murray was in critical condition following the rescue. Marvel Kite crew members reportedly struggled to feed him but he was only able to consume small amounts of oral rehydration solution. He later developed severe breathing difficulties and was placed on oxygen support. Despite those efforts, Murray’s condition deteriorated rapidly and he died before the Marvel Kite reached its final destination last night.
The same update also warned that another rescued crew member’s condition was deteriorating, although no further details were released.
Guardian Media was able to verify Murray’s death via marine sources in both Barbados and St Vincent. Those sources also confirmed that the Marvel Kite yesterday changed its intended final destination from Barbados to St Vincent but were unable to say why.
However, that information stood in contrast to a T&T Ministry of Defence statement early yesterday which said the six rescued fishermen were in “reasonably good health with no remarkable injuries.”
The ministry’s release added that the fishermen were located by the Marvel Kite approximately 349 nautical miles east of Galeota and were expected to be brought ashore within four hours after the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard arranged a rendezvous with the commercial tanker vessel.
Soon after this, however, relatives expressed frustration over what they described as poor communication from officials on the rescue effort.
Amanda Suraj, the wife of rescued fisherman Shannon Mohammed, said she had not been able to speak with her husband despite the T&T Government’s announcement on the rescue. She also criticised the ministry’s statement indicating the men would be returned within four hours, saying families had received little information about their whereabouts or medical condition.
Meanwhile, Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) corporate secretary Gary Aboud said the outcome was a blessing after a period of intense anxiety.
“Thank God. Although we were going out of our minds, I was trying to get the family to brace themselves for the worst news. They kept saying, ‘Have faith, have faith,’” Aboud said.
However, he argued that the incident had exposed weaknesses in regional maritime coordination and emergency response systems.
“It highlights the critical importance of us having a synchronised regional response. There is no connection between Trinidad, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Grenada, Antigua and other Caribbean territories. When accidents happen at sea, we have to respond immediately,” he said.
Aboud also called for an overhaul of Trinidad and Tobago’s fisheries legislation and stronger safety certification standards for mariners.
“Trinidad and Tobago has one of the oldest fisheries legislations on the planet. We need some form of certification to ensure people are properly trained to implement safety measures at sea,” he said.
The St Vincent VII crew had been missing since their vessel caught fire while operating in the Atlantic near the maritime boundary between Suriname and French Guiana. The vessel left Chaguaramas on July 6 and caught fire and sank on July 13
The operational update suggested the fishermen survived by abandoning the burning vessel and spending nine days aboard a life raft before being spotted by the passing Marvel Kite.
Guardian Media attempted to contact Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Ravi Ratiram and Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge for comment yesterday, but calls and messages to their mobile phones went unanswered.
However, in another media release last night, the Ministry of Defence confirmed Murray’s death.
It confirmed it was advised by the Marvel Kite crew that it agreed to divert to St Vincent for the delivery of his body and the formal declaration of his death there. Guardian Media was reliably informed that Murray also resided on that island.
The release said the remaining crew members were to receive medical treatment there, adding once cleared they would be returned home by the T&T Air Guard. The ministry also apologised for the delay in making the announcement, but said this was because it wanted to notify Murray’s family first.
The ministry also thanked the Marvel Kite crew for its assistance in rescuing the fishermen and offered its condolences to Murray’s family.
