GC 69 RIO PARANA
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Patrol boat searching for misising engineer of sunk fishing vessel
The 'GC-69 - Río Paraná' was participating in an SAR operation, which was launched off the coast of Río Negro province after the fising vessel 'Heleno A' (Registration Number 01502) sank on the late night of Feb 25, 2026, in the waters of the San Matías Gulf, in vicinity 40°55´S 64°37´W. The vessel had set off at 7 p.m. from San Antonio Oeste to Quequén for dismantling, escorted by the fishing vessel 'Marina Z' (IMO: 6609640). There was immediate communication between the captain of the vessel and the 'Marina Z', when the 'Heleno A' encountered some kind of problem, before it sank at 8.30 p.m. The Argentine Naval Prefecture deployed SAR resources from the San Antonio Este dock, and at 8:45 p.m., the 'Río Paraná' set sail at maximum speed towards the position five nautical miles from the coast and 13 nautical miles east-southeast of Puerto San Antonio Este, along with other vessels and aircraft, with the aim of expanding the operational area in case they could locate the 75 year old engineer from Puerto Madryn, who was missing. The f/v 'Huafeng 815' (IMO: 8747757)) which was sailing nearby, also joined the search. The operation was focused on locating the sunken vessel and recovering the man. According to initial reports gathered overnight, the man may have tried to leave the vessel at the critical moment, although this was part of the ongoing investigation. The “Río Paraná” continued the systematic search and maritime sweep operations, with the support of a fishing vessel that was operating nearby at the time of the incident. Among the aerial resources which were deployed, were a Coast Guard plane that took off from the Comodoro Rivadavia Air Station and a helicopter, which was conducting constant overflights to expand the search area and detect any signs on the surface. Throughout the night and early morning, search flights were conducted using the helicopters, totaling two hours and 40 minutes of nighttime sweeping. At first light, two more helicopters took off from the operational air base in Viedma, accumulating more than four additional hours of aerial search. As a reinforcement, the Coast Guard also depolyed the 'GC-26 - Thompson”, which wass sailing to the area to join the search efforts. An oil slick has been detected approximately one mile from the initial reported location of the shipwreck, an indication that is being evaluated by technical teams. A specialised team also departed from Buenos Aires for San Antonio Este with an underwater exploration robot and sonar, with the objective of determining the exact position of the vessel. The area has an estimated water depth of over 80 meters, which complicated the search. The other four crew members of the 'Heleno A' were rescued by the 'Marina Z' soon after the sinking, and disembarked at the port of San Antonio Este on the early morning of Feb 26. Two ambulances were waiting at the dock to assist the survivors, who underwent preventative medical checkups. On scene were eastsoutheastern winds of approximately 17 knots speed, with a predicted shift to the north and a tendency to decrease to approximately seven knots by the afternoon of Feb 26. Sea conditions were favourable, with optimal visibility and only slightly choppy seas, with coastal disturbances attributable to strong ocean currents; at the time of the shipwreck, waves were estimated at 1.2 meters from eastnortheast with periods of 6.1 seconds. The causes of the sinking of the 'Heleno A' remained under investigation. Initial hypotheses did not rule out a structural failure or a sudden leak. Both the 'Heleno A' and the 'Marina Z' had valid navigation safety certificates and had complied with all required technical specifications. The judicial investigation is being handled by the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Viedma. Reports with photos and video: https://canal12web.com/se-hundio-el-buque-heleno-a-rescataron-a-cuatro-tripulantes-y-buscan-al-maquinista/ https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/policiales/2026/02/26/se-hundio-un-buque-pesquero-en-rio-negro-y-buscan-a-un-tripulante-desaparecido/ https://www.diario4v.com/nota/51979/se-hundio-un-buque-que-viajaba-a-quequen-hay-un-tripulante-desaparecido/ https://informativohoy.com.ar/intenso-operativo-en-el-golfo-san-matias-tras-el-hundimiento-del-pesquero-heleno-a/
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