Fishermen rescued after vessel sinks off Pomeroon River – INews Guyana
See full statement from the Maritime Administration Department:
A captain and three crew members, were rescued after their fishing vessel, Sea Knight, sank approximately 20 miles off the coast of the Pomeroon River on Sunday evening.
The incident occurred around 1900 hours on May 25, 2025. The vessel, owned by Pritpaul Singh Investment Inc., went down in the Atlantic leaving the men adrift. Captain Monzil Thomas remained afloat using a life ring and was later rescued near the mouth of the Pomeroon River by 2-Sister, another fishing boat.
The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) received the first report of the incident at approximately 1045 hours on Monday, May 26. In response, the Emergency Operations Unit—led by Captain John Flores—immediately launched a search and rescue operation. The effort was supported by the Guyana Coast Guard under Commander David Shamsudeen, employing both aerial and ground surveillance.
A few hours into the coordinated search, the remaining three fishermen—Delon Sandy, Patrick McRae, and John McRae Jr.—were located adrift approximately six nautical miles from the mouth of the Pomeroon River. All three were found wearing life jackets and were safely rescued.
The success of the rescue operation is credited to the swift response and safety protocols in place.
See full statement from the Guyana Defence Force:
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard today successfully executed a comprehensive Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, rescuing four crew members from the fishing trawler ‘SEA NIGHT’, after the vessel sank at approximately 20:00 hours on Sunday evening.
The distress signal was received at around 05:30 hours on Monday, May 26, 2025, by the Timehri Control Tower. In a swift response led by Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard, Commander David Shamsudeen, two Metal Shark boats were mobilised and coordination with the GDF Air Corps, resulted in the deployment of a HAL aircraft to conduct aerial reconnaissance.
Through these coordinated efforts, all four crew members were rescued between 10:30 and 16:00 hours. The first fisherman was located adrift approximately six nautical miles off the mouth of the Pomeroon River. The remaining three were subsequently recovered about five nautical miles offshore from Devonshire Castle Village, Essequibo.
The rescued crew recalled that the ‘SEA NIGHT”, began taking in water rapidly due to a sudden and catastrophic leak. Despite their efforts to contain the flooding, the vessel was quickly overwhelmed and submerged around 20:00 hours.
Upon their return to the GDF Coast Guard Headquarters, the rescued fishermen received immediate medical attention and were later transported safely to their homes.
The GDF extends sincere gratitude to two civilian fishing vessels operating in the area, as their timely assistance contributed significantly to the success of the rescue operation.
