Three crew rescued as Bourbon Rhode confirmed sunk
Bourbon has announced that tug supply vessel Bourbon Rhode, which was hit by bad weather associated with Hurricane category 4 hurricane Lorenzo, has sunk in the Atlantic.
The French offshore vessel owner launched a rescue mission on Thursday after the vessel, headed for Guyana, encountered trouble while it was around 1,200 nautical miles off Martinique Island. The crew reported a water ingress in the rear of the vessel.
Bourbon said late on Saturday that rescue teams have recovered a lifeboat with three crew members onboard, having been identified by a Falcon 50 aircraft sent by the French Navy.
The three crewmembers have been taken onboard a commercial vessel and placed under medical observation.
The search for the other eleven crew members continues in improving weather conditions.
Regional Operational Center of Surveillance and Rescue (CROSS) West Indies-Guyana, the French Navy, numerous commercial vessels, as well as a plane of the US National Hurricane Center are all involved in the search.
“Bourbon’s teams are mobilized to keep the families of the crew members informed and bring them full support in this difficult time,” the company said in its statement over the weekend.