The HM Coastguard has issued a distress alert, after the 'Océans' capsized in the North Atlantic in pos. 49° 38.73' N 013° 52.00' W on the early afternoon of Nov 2, 2026. The sailing vessel. an Orma class yacht, was leading the Vintage Multi category in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe race and had departed from Saint-Malo on Nov 1. The last AIS transmission was at 12:39 p.m. UTC, the distress alert was received at 1:57 p.m. UTC via COSPAS-SARSAT 406MHz. The Skipper Francis Joyon, 70, was rescued by the container m/v 'Maersk Columbus' (IMO: 9332987), enroute from Bremerhaven to Norfolk, Virginia, at 11 p.m. The weather conditions were good, with 20 to 25 knots of wind and a wave height of two metres. Francis Joyon spent approximately eight hours in his overturned trimaran. On Nov 3, the 'Maersk Columbus' was sailing southwest of Ireland, where Joyon was to be dropped off on the early afternoon. The SAR operation was coordinated by the CROSS Jobourg and British authorities. Considered one of the greatest French sailors, Joyon was participating in the Route du Rhum for the ninth time. In 2018, he overtook François Gabart from Charente a few miles from the finish in Guadeloupe to secure his first overall victory.
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SALVAMAR DIPHDA
On Nov 2, the 'Guardamar Urania' rescued 132 people from a patera. In addition, there were two lifeless bodies on board, and according to information from the rescued, another five lifeless bodies were thrown into the sea during the journey. The rescued were disembarked in Arrecife. The 'Salvamar Al Nair' rescued 35 people from a first patera and another 36 from a second. They werw disembarked in Arrecife. The 'Salvamar Acrux' assisted a patera with 59 people. The occupants were disembarked in Arrecife. The 'Salvamar Navia' escorted two cayucos to the port of La Restinga at different times. From the first, 90 people disembarked, and from the second, 19. The 'Salvamar Diphda' escorted another cayuco to the same port, from which 30 people disembarked. The rescue operations were coordinated by the controllers in the centers of Salvamento Marítimo in LasPalmas and Tenerife.
AS DREAM
On Oct 30, 2026, at 8.15 p.m. the 'AS Dream' (identified as 'Antepli' and listing 'AS Dream' among its former names, besides 'Kıvanç', 'Susanna I' and 'Susanna'), with ten crew members - consisting of nine Indian nationals and one Cameroonian - and a cargo of salt on board, suffered water ingress and started sinking about 90 nautical miles west of Paphos, within the SAR area of the Republic of Cyprus. The JRCC activated the "NEARCHOS" Special National Plan and launched a rescue operation, mobilising a helicopter from the 460th Search and Rescue Squadron of the National Guard General Staff (GEEF), the patrol vessel 'Ammochostos' of the GEEF Naval Command, the patrol boat Pentadaktylos' of the Port and Marine Police, as well as the container m/v 'MSC Hannah III' (IMO: 9316347), which was in the vicinity on its way from Gioia Taurus to Beirut. Under the coordination of the Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), the crew was rescued by the cargo ship and subsequently transferred to the patrol boat, which transported them to the Port of Limassol. After paramedics from the Ambulance Service confirmed that they were all in good health, the rescued seafarers were taken into the care of the competent state authorities. The embassies concerned have been notified of the incident. The foreign ministry has started dealing with the case through diplomatic channels. The 'AS Dream' has a very checkered past. It was identified with deficiencies on its past 17 port state inspections, dating back to 2012, and was the subject of an unresolved case dating from Sep 1, 2025, in Ashdod. The original complaint involved eight seafarers, four months of unpaid wages and shortages of fuel and provisions. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) reported that it had purchased diesel for the generators and coordinated the supply of food and water with a local customs official. Three Indian crew members were subsequently repatriated and paid. However, the case remained officially unresolved. In September 2026, Tansania’s maritime administration was seeking an updated status from the International Transport Workers’ Federation. On Sep 3, the ship was detained in Alexandria for a week with 21 deficiencies following a port state control safety inspection. Grounds for the detention included a missing AIS test report and expired firefighting equipment and appliances. The inspectors also found expired inflatable life rafts on the ship. The maintenance of life-saving appliances was not as required, and rescue boats and the radar were inoperative. The cause of the sinking was unknown. Report with photos and video: https://cyprustimes.com/astynomiko-reportaz/diesosan-10-naftikous-apo-ploio-pou-vythizotan-anoikta-tis-kyprou-dramatikes-stigmes-deite-vinteo/
SALVAMAR NAVIA
On Nov 2, the 'Guardamar Urania' rescued 132 people from a patera. In addition, there were two lifeless bodies on board, and according to information from the rescued, another five lifeless bodies were thrown into the sea during the journey. The rescued were disembarked in Arrecife. The 'Salvamar Al Nair' rescued 35 people from a first patera and another 36 from a second. They werw disembarked in Arrecife. The 'Salvamar Acrux' assisted a patera with 59 people. The occupants were disembarked in Arrecife. The 'Salvamar Navia' escorted two cayucos to the port of La Restinga at different times. From the first, 90 people disembarked, and from the second, 19. The 'Salvamar Diphda' escorted another cayuco to the same port, from which 30 people disembarked. The rescue operations were coordinated by the controllers in the centers of Salvamento Marítimo in LasPalmas and Tenerife.
NUEVO BOSCO
On Nov 2, 2026, the 'Nuevo Bosco', while sailing 17 nautical miles from Llanes, requested the nedical evacuation of an injured crew member. The CCS of Salvamento Marítimo in Gijón mobilised the SAR helicopter Helimer 207, while 112Asturias coordinated an ambulance to El Musel. The Helimer 207 hoisted the injured on board and handed him over to the medical personnel ashore.

