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72 passengers evacuated from grounded ship
The 'Festijn' ran aground on a sandbank on the Wester Scheldt near Breskens in pos. 51° 23' N 003° 38' E on Oct 6, 2026, shortly after 1:00 p.m., while sailing along the channel near the Hoofdplaat to spot seals and other sights on the Western Scheldt. The skipper contacted the Dutch Coast Guard to request assistance due to the receding tide. Given that there were 72 passengers of various ages on board, in addition to the Breskens lifeboat 'Zeemanshoop', the lifeboats 'Winifred' (Cadzand) and 'Uly' (Westkapelle) were also deployed, along with a Coast Guard helicopter, a Medical Duty Officer, and a municipal official. Ultimately, the helicopter was not utilised. Thanks to their shallow draft, the lifeboats were able to pull alongside the tour boat and take all the passengers on board. Once everyone had been transferred from the ' Festijn', the lifeboats headed for the port of Breskens, where all passengers were brought safely ashore. Many of the passengers were elderly and were looked after at the KNRM lifeboat station. Since the tour boat had also departed from Breskens, the passengers' cars were parked at the harbor. This allowed them to quickly continue on their way. The rescue operation was concluded after an hour, at which point Rijkswaterstaat took over the incident. Three crew members remained on board to wait for the next high tide. At around 9 p.m. the water level was high enough to refloat, and at 9.30 p.m. the ship was back in Breskens, where it remained stationary as of Oct 8. The cause of the vessel running aground was not yet known, and whether the dense fog had played a role in it. According to Ube van der Zee, involved in organising the tours, the grounding of the ship was a ‘confluence of circumstances, which could also have had to do with a shifted sandbank or the receding tide. Already in July 2025, 63 passengers had to be evacuated from the 'Festijn' by the KNRM after smoke had emerged in the engine room while the ship was underway. Reports with photos: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-westkapelle/zeehondentocht-loopt-vast-op-zandbank https://www.bndestem.nl/sluis/rondvaartschip-gestrand-op-zandbank-in-de-westerschelde-72-opvarenden-van-boord-gehaald~a6b2beb3/?slug_rd=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fbinnenvaartlog.nl%2F&fbclid=IwT01FWAUx4hBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHriZdG5Lpl7lSjWQ0e4E4X16IQBP0jm4kg-keC79MEFAhF4vawiwBnCe7quW_aem_4ln4Iys9yhfn0asFU8Ofow
Lifeboat took off 63 passengers of disabled excursion vessel
On July 8, 2025, at 11.16 a.m. the KNRM lifeboat 'Zeemanshoop' was alerted to the 'Festijn', which had suffered smoke development in the engine room with 63 passengers on board, in the waterway along the Hoofd Plate off Breskens. The master immediately dropped anchor and alerted the Coastguard, who then notified the 'Zeemanshoop'. The lifeboat quickly arrived on the scene and began evacuating all 63 passengers. Once they were all on board, the 'Zeemanshoop' sailed back to the port of Breskens. In the port, the Sluis municipal public order and safety officer (AOV) and the police assisted, and all passengers were safely brought ashore. The lifeboat then set course for the 'Festijn' again to secure the situation. Due to the wind, the rising tide, and the ship's position, a temporary tow connection was established at the request of the Rijkswaterstaat. The patrol boat 'RWS79' had arrived in the meantime and managed to hold the casualty in position while awaiting the tug 'CMS Warrior' (IMO: 765184) of Multraship. It took over the towing connection, and the lifeboat was stood down. Winds on scene were Northwest, 4 Beaufort. Report with photos: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-breskens/63-personen-geevacueerd-van-rondvaartboot-met-rook-in-de-machinekamer
Excursion ship ran aground off Breskens
The "Festijn" ran aground near Breskens in the morning of July 25, 2016. The lifeboat "Zeemanshoop" was called at 9.52 a.m. by th Dutch Coastguard in order to disembark 27 persons from the ship which was stuck on the Breskens Plate and unable to free itself. The lifeboat was on scene within 10 minutes and able to reach the grounded ship due to its small draught. 26 passaengers and one crew member were taken ashore. The master and another crew member remained aboard waiting for the high tide in the evening to get the ship off. Dutch reports with photos: https://www.knrm.nl/nieuws/knrm-reddingstation-breskens/reddingboot-breskens-evacueert-27-personen http://www.hvzeeland.nl/nieuws/30031-opvarenden-rondvaartboot-geevacueerd/ http://www.bndestem.nl/regio/zeeland/rondvaartboot-festijn-strandt-op-plaat-breskens-1.6219015
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