Transtejo/Soflusa ordered “the immediate establishment of an internal investigation” to determine the circumstances and responsibilities of the accident that occurred on Monday afternoon on the Tagus River, involving a passenger transport boat and a fishing boat.
Following the accident, two people were injured and two are missing.
In a response sent to the Lusa agency, the company explains that at 4:55 pm the catamaran ship “Antero Quental”, which made the connection between Barreiro and Lisbon, was rammed by a fishing vessel.
The company adds that the ship’s master tried to avoid the collision, notably with several audible alerts, and that these were ignored by the fishing vessel.
After the accident, explains Transtejo/Soflusa, the usual procedure was carried out in these circumstances, namely a blood alcohol test on the ship’s master, by the competent authorities, “the result of which was 0.0g/l of alcohol in the blood”.
However, the company adds, the Board of Directors determined the immediate initiation of an internal investigation, to determine the circumstances and responsibilities of this occurrence.
Transtejo Soflusa, the company responsible for the river connection between Seixal, Montijo, Cacilhas, Barreiro and Trafaria/Porto Brandão, in the Setúbal district, and Lisbon, says that passenger transport on the Barreiro – Terreiro do Paço river connection remains active and regular.
According to the Lisbon Port Authority, the search for the two missing people who were on the fishing vessel that collided with the catamaran will continue “until possible”.
“The tide will go down and the searches will continue until we judge that there are conditions to carry them out,” said the captain of the port of Lisbon, Paulo Rodrigues Vicente.
The sea captain, who also commands the Lisbon Maritime Police, spoke to journalists at the port captaincy about the balance of relief and rescue operations for the two injured and two missing from a fishing vessel that collided with a passenger transport catamaran from Transtejo-Soflusa.
“We don’t have a forecast in terms of hours (to carry out the searches), let’s see the conditions, let’s scout the area, let’s check all the areas nearby”, explained Rodrigues Vicente, adding that the “river has very special characteristics, isn’t it open sea, the current has a strong influence on transporting people” and they will “hold on to that experience and try to find these people”.
The commander of the Maritime Police confirmed that it was the master of the passenger vessel that made the connection between Barreiro and Lisbon who gave the alert, at 5:05 pm, that it had collided with a “smaller vessel”, with four occupants, two of which were rescued next to the Margueira pier and assisted by the Cacilhas firefighters.
The two injured, one seriously and the other slightly, were transported to Garcia de Orta Hospital, in Almada.
Following the alert, “a vessel from the local command of the Lisbon Maritime Police, a vessel from the Lifeguard Station of the Port Authority of Lisbon and a vessel from the Lisbon Sapadores Fire Brigade were immediately activated to the location, in addition to the helicopter from Air Force.
According to the port captain, an Air Force helicopter was “activated around 40 minutes after the accident” and the search will continue taking into account “normal survival tables in the water”.
Asked about the type of fishing vessel, Paulo Rodrigues Vicente said that “it is a fishing vessel, commonly for clams”, information that comes from, during diving operations, because the vessel capsized, “a hook and various fishing gear” which may indicate that “they were used to collect clams”.
“The channels that passenger transport vessels use, both for Seixal and Barreiro, are crossed daily by many vessels”, admitted the port captain, confirming that the collision occurred within that channel.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
