Emergency crews called off the search for the 57-year-old Polish captain of a cargo ship that sunk off Haugesund Friday night. Two other crew members were rescued after being picked up from the sea north of the Ramsholm islands.
All three men on board the 48-meter-long vessel Finnøyglimt were from Poland, while the vessel was owned by the shipowning company Ryfylke Shipping. The vessel was normally used to carry gravel.
The cause of the accident remained unclear. Emergency crews received a report around 11:30pm Friday that the vessel was having problems in open sea between Slettå and Ramsholmene. The captain reported a several list and contact was lost just 10 minutes later. The sinking “must have occurred extremely quickly,” Johan Mannsåker, leader of the rescue effort, told news bureau NTB.
The two surviving crew members managed to don survival suits and get into a life raft. The captain did not. A major search was launched involving a helicopter, dogs and search crews on land, aircraft and speedboats but they could find no sign of the captain.
Officials planned to send a remote-controlled search vessel down to the wreckage on Monday.
Views and News staff
