Thirteen of the 18 crew members have been accounted for following the sinking of the Tug Leo, a vessel that reportedly went down on Saturday, approximately 80 nautical miles from Mossel Bay.

Of the 18 crew members on board, five remain missing. One of the missing crew members is presumed dead, reports the Mossel Bay Advertiser.

This is according to a statement issued by the South African Search and Rescue (Sasar) yesterday.

A search-and-rescue operation is currently underway for the missing crew members, although weather conditions remain challenging.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Cape Town (MRCC) was alerted to the incident via a mayday distress message received at around 19:00 on Saturday.

The message reported uncontrolled water ingress and requested immediate assistance.

“The crew abandoned ship into four life rafts before the tug sank in the early hours of this morning [March 1],” Sasar said.

Two merchant vessels and one local fishing vessel remain in the vicinity and continue to assist with search operations. A helicopter has also been deployed to provide aerial support across the search area.

An Incident Management System structure has been activated to coordinate the ongoing response effort, comprising the MRCC, on-scene resources and relevant authorities.

Sasar has extended its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and said its thoughts remain with all those affected.