Two tugboats from Dubai will reach the stricken tanker Everton today to help in the rescue attempt as Omani naval vessels conduct a massive search for a Filipino Second Officer still missing at sea.

A representative of the Greek-owned vessel told Gulf News that a search is also underway for the Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel which slammed into the tanker earlier on Monday morning, setting of a huge blaze.


Second Officer Concordio Raagas and sailors Ramon Bantug and Rogelio Sarmiento at a hotel in Dubai.©Gulf News
"It apparently was fishing illegally off the coast of Oman," said George Vakirtzis, representative of the Greek Polembros Shipping Limited, owners of Everton, which was flying the Maltese flag.

The fishing boat was a large vessel, about 62 metres in length, with 60 crew on board.
"It was a fishing factory," said the representative, adding that Polembros will press charges once it is found.

"It is common practice that when you pass a ship, you pass it from the rear." Apparently, the fishing boat misjudged the distance and passed it from the front and collided. About 100 tonnes of crude oil spilled into the Arabian Sea, but there is no danger of the crude reaching the Omani shores as most of it burned away in the blaze.

Second Officer Concordio Raagas said the wind at that time was also seaward and most of the crude drifted away from the shores. Everton is anchored about 30 miles off Oman, according to Vakistzis.

The Filipino labour attaché said the name of the missing officer cannot be released before his family is informed. Vicente M. Cabe, yesterday met with the sailors who arrived in Dubai on a Norwegian car carrier Hual Asia, which came to their rescue.

Raagas was asleep at the time of the crash at around 7.45am, after his midnight shift.

"The crash ruptured tank number one on the port side. The crude spilled out and immediately there was a huge fire," he said. Emergency alarms went off on the tanker and everybody put on their lifejackets, he said, noting that one sailor from the fishing boat fell into the sea.
The fisherman was later rescued.

Vakirtzis said it was still unclear why two sailors, the missing second officer and the bosun, boarded the Everton again. "Maybe they went to pick up their stuff," he said.

Everton was on its way to Ain Shukna in Egypt to discharge its cargo of 82,000 tonnes of crude which was loaded at Kharg Island in Iran.

Of the 16 sailors brought to Dubai, 13 are Filipinos and three from Honduras. The sailors will leave for home today.

They were checked into a hotel near Port Rashid and given money, clothes and shoes. Eight of the crew members were taken aboard a US naval vessel. They included the captain, chief officer and the electrician.

"The Americans wanted to assess the situation around the tanker," said Raagas.