The search for the Simshar has still not gave out any positive results. Let us all hope that they are still alive and not down at the bottom as it would be a tragedy for all maltese fishermen. some say that the boat was captured by libian authorities but on the other hand no info has been sent to malta. Let us all pray for them and their families so that they will be found.
Here is the whole story on l-orrizont:
http://www.l-orizzont.com/news.asp?newsitemid=45847
It was a really nice PETECRAFT boat.....hope it will be a happy ending...May God help them!
Amen to that brother..........lets hope everything turns out for the best.......
It was a beautiful boat and Simon was such a nice person. Hope everything ends well. Hopes are getting lower and lower :s
Roughly what does the article say on L-orrizont?
Roughly the article says that american, italian and maltese forces are searching for them...but so far everything turned negative. Yesterday they found a partly submerged cabin of a boat but it turned out that it wasn't of SHIMSHAR....Out at sea everything is possible, what happened only God knows....
Thanks Shaftbomb
May God help them and may they return safe and sound.
very frightening experience to be out there and nobody finds you. you just hope that someone will find you
Latest news report says that a body recovered at sea some 60nm SW of Malta appears to be that of Noel Carabott :(
His wife has been called in to help identify the body due to tatoo's and other distinguishing marks that were found on the corpse. Unfortunately things are not looking positive for the crew of the Simshar, let's hope that things still turn out positively.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080718/local/corpse-of-missing-fisherman-found
Chris 8)
Guy, we will definetely hear more news within the coming days but surely this is a very real sad news to all maltese people especially for the victims families and all the fishermen who goes fishing out there on the sea.
Right now I really feel sad for those men and that 11 year old boy and all together we should pray for their souls and most of all for therir families.
May God help all their families and the armed forces to recover all victims back.
:( :( :'( :'( :'( :'(
May God Grant them eternal rest if it is the case that they have drowned. It is a surely shockking story and this shuold raise mor awareness to us fisherman. As to say for myself i practice the same fishing techniques as they used to fish with and also we go to the same places. This surely should mean that now i will never sleep anymore whilst out there as this would be passing through my head.
Let us hope that the bodies are recovered and are brought back here to their home so as one can pay his last respects. 2 bodies already found which means that they should find more. My hopes of finding any survivors now is close to 0% :(
Dear god take care of their families in this greif moment as it is very sad.
SIMON WAS FOUND ALIVE !!!!!!!! :o May God bless him and all those helping in this rescue. Pray guys, there is still hope !!!
Chris 8)
Yes that is right Simon was just found alive. Lets hope his son is found alive aswell and maybe the other deckhand aswell. Simon gave them information that there was an explosion. Hopes are up now. This breaking news made me shed tears of happiness
The 11 yr old was also found alive !!!!!!!!!!!!;D ;D ;D ;D
Chris 8)
ANOTHER FLASH NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIMON'S SON THEO WAS FOUND ALIVE ASWELL.. :):):):):):):):):):):):):)
This is very good news!!!!Now we should know what happened!Thay are saying that there boat exploded! :-[
That's what they are saying, Simon has burns !!
Chris 8)
Simon has burns yes. It could be an explosion. God has listened to all the prayers of the maltese people.
Times of Malta :
Contrary to previous reports, the boy, Theo, 11, has not been found, despite reports of that discovery by a fishing boat.
:o :-\
Chris 8)
Theo is still out there dead or alive :(:(:(:(:(:(:( They heard the fisherman say that the son was found but they were referring to simon. Flash news on tvm has also said that the other body could be of Simon's Father Karmnu.
Thank God for this good news...
My deep and sincere symphaties to the other families.
Simon gave indications taht the erithrein fisherman had died. His son was still alive till yesterday morning but he fell off the raft and he did not see him anymore. Lets hope he is found alive but hopes for him to bne found alive are very small :(
This is the last Report from Times of Malta
The only survivor of the fishing tragedy, Simon Bugeja transported to Mater Dei Hospital by an Italian helicopter, yesterday. Photo: Jason Borg
While the whole of Malta held its breath during the past week over the fate of four fishermen and an 11-year-old boy, a drama was being enacted out at sea that would scare the daylights out of anyone, even if it were only a fictitious account - which it wasn't.
Ray Bugeja, President of the Fisheries Cooperative and owner of the trawler Grecale last night told The Times how Simon Bugeja, in his late 30s, managed to keep his wits about him to try to save his crew including his son, Teo,11, after the vessel they were on, the Simshar, was blown apart following an explosion in the engine room.
Simon Bugeja recounted this horrific ordeal to Mark Bugeja, captain of the trawler Grecale. Mr Bugeja was found by the Grecale and was flown to Mater Dei Hospital last night after he was found alive yesterday at about 7.45 p.m., having spent eight days at sea.
While they were on their way back to Malta Thursday week, the crew heard a bang in one of the engines and when Simon went down to check, an explosion ripped the boat apart and the crew ended up in the water.
The first thing Mr Bugeja tried to do was to inflate a life raft, but for some reason the raft did not inflate.
Mr Bugeja then started to put together the pieces of polystyrene (jablo) they had in a sack and which they used to keep the long lines they were using to catch swordfish afloat, and started to fashion a raft holding the pieces of jablo together with rope.
The raft was only several centimetres above the water.
Floating as best they could they hoped help would soon be around. On Saturday, however, the Eritrean member of the crew died while the next member to lose his life was Noel Carabott who died on Sunday. On Monday, Mr Bugeja's father passed away and Simon tied pieces of polystyrene to his hands hoping against hope that he would be found afloat. They suffered from hypothermia.
"This morning (Friday) Teo was still alive although completely exhausted. At one point a helicopter seemed to have spotted us because it came down quite close to the water and I started waving a piece of cloth to the crew and calling in Maltese 'We are Maltese, we are Europeans' but the helicopter - I don't know what nationality it was - just flew on," Simon Bugeja recounted to Mark Bugeja as told to this newspaper by Ray Bugeja.
At one point, the boy, Teo slipped off the raft lifeless into the water and his father, who could barely move as his physical strength was at its lowest ebb could not do anything to save him. The other crew members had succumbed also because they had drunk seawater, something Simon Bugeja had cautioned them against.
Ray Bugeja said that he had instructed the captain of the Grecale to go out and search for the missing crew last Monday and other boats left Marsaxlokk where the missing crew were based. In fact, it was the three boats, Laura, Grecale and San Ġorg that found the two bodies and Simon Bugeja.
The bodies and the survivor were found about 30 miles from the spot where the explosion occurred.
"Simon Bugeja had terrific courage urging the others to hang on," Ray Bugeja said.
When the crew of the Grecale spotted Simon Bugeja they communicated the coordinates to the Armed Forces of Malta who immediately deployed a helicopter belonging to the Italian Military Mission in Malta, which flew Mr Bugeja to hospital.
Earlier, the bodies of his father, Karmenu, in his 60s, and Noel Carabott, 33, were found at sea.
The first body to be recovered by the Armed Forces of Malta on Thursday night was that of Mr Carabott.
Mr Bugeja's corpse was spotted by fishermen floating with two pieces of polystyrene (jablo) tied to his hands yesterday afternoon.
A post mortem held at Mater Dei Hospital mortuary on Mr Carabott yesterday morning showed that the fisherman had died of "asphyxia due to drowning".
The body was identified by Mr Carabott's wife. The AFM were alerted and a patrol boat went over to the spot indicated. The body was recovered at about 2 a.m. yesterday. It was taken to Haywharf and then to hospital.
The police said the corpse was in an advanced stage of decomposition and had no identification documents. The sources said there was no life jacket on the body.
The sources added that the corpse had a tattoo identical to the one Mr Carabott had. There was also a bracelet identical to one owned by Mr Carabott.
Karmenu (Carmelo) Bugeja's body was found by fishermen on board the fishing vessel San Ġorġ about five nautical miles from where Mr Carabott's corpse was found.
As soon as the crew of the San Ġorġ spotted the body they radioed the news to the AFM and a helicopter and a patrol boat were deployed to the area. The body was landed at Haywharf late at night.
The sources said the fishermen who found the second body immediately identified it as that of Karmenu Bugeja.
The fishermen had left Marsaxlokk on a swordfish fishing trip on July 14, a Monday, and had to return four days later on Friday, but did not. A report was filed by relatives on Saturday.
no-body was found by the AFM personell. everyone was found by the fishing vessels. if it wasnt for the gregale simon would be dead. ok they searched for them and with helicopters italian/american and they see nothing. and than the fishing vessels from sea level they spot them. come on rescue personell make more effort to save lives. even i would be dead if it wasnt for a fishing vessel the amantea. the AFM didnt save us.
I agree with you 100% busumark. The government can do much more but he does not want to spend too much money for search and rescue. Disgrace mil kbar misna nisthu ee.
We should inform Peppi of Xarabank and we will invite the brigadir and the PM and we go all toghether as big team and we ask for an explanation why AFM are not doing enough effort or why they don't have enough equipment.
By the way just to inform you that according to the last info I got from the shop where i bought my vhf is that MMSI are still not working For Malta cause they still have to build the station and France will get only a signal that somewhere with1-3 mile range of a specific area there's a distress signal.
Tajjeb Hux??? mur ghoqod hallas >:(
X'misthija ..... lanqas irid nemmen. Provru tifel .... j'alla jirnexilu isavla miskin ghalkemm difficili issa wara daz-zmien kollu. Jiena ghalija Simon qalbu kbira ghax ghalkemm irnexxilu jghix hu prova jaghmel hiltu kolla biex jaghmel kuragg il-bqija tal-crew. Respect.
if this thing of the mmsi is not really working we have to speak up for sure. they take your 55 euros. they dont tell you that it doesnt work. if you read MALTA TODAY ON SUNDAY there are the angry comments of the fisherman about the AFM. interesting article
what i found strange in the article is that toni carabott the president of the koperative tas sajd said that on wednesday the afm had a meeting with them to show them their equipment for searching and that they told them that it wont be difficult for them to find them. than toni said that they learnt that only one plane had that equipment and continued that if they had known this before they would have told the afm the area where to search with the plane. he said that they where searching in wrong area. if toni knew the area where they should have searched why he didnt tell the afm from the first day
comments on the timesofmalta http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080720/local/afm-gives-account-of-search-for-fishermen-so-far
its incredible that there are 2 comments that they are trying to make the afm look like heroes and that the fisherman made the wrong things. one of them is wally even in our accindent he defended the afm and that we were at fault. and can you beleive it there is one that said that a boat should have the safety equipment when going out at sea. as if you can use them if the boat exploded
What can u do busu once an A...H... u will always be one. Wally is one ofa kind. Its true that its difficult to spot a person or a boat form toooooo high above. I remember when Paul from St pauls got lost on his boat and was found 5 days after. the Spotter plane passed him serveral times and didnt spot him. their excuse was that they go high to search a larger area. But whats the use that u go too high that u dont see a boat?
Until authorities both local and EU realise that there should be no VAT and potentially even a one-off subsidy on life saving equipment, things like EPIRBs and PLBs continue to put off people in terms of affordability of the majority of recreational boat users.
Considering the amount of money spent during rescue attempts, and the potential horrendous loss of life, I think that an individual should be able to apply for a PLB (Personal Locating Beacon), which they would get at a special price and also one EPIRB per boat at a special price.
Commercial vessels are required to carry a EPIRBs but the automatic deployment system is very expensive, and the ideal would be for everyone out on a boat to be wearing a PLB at all times as some can be as small as a packet of cigarettes. All beacons now need to be in the 406MHz band and not the older 121.5MHz band although some more expensive PLBs also carry a small homing signal on 121.5MHz.
PLB's exist with GPS input (internal or external) and no GPS.
MacMurdo Fast Find Max will set you back ?239 incl VAT and has a 121.5MHz homing signal beacon as well but no GPS.
MacMurdo Fast Find Max G +GPS will set you back around ?350 incl VAT plus homing signal.
MacMurdo Smartfind E5 EPIRB Manual - ?299 incl VAT
MacMurdo Smartfind E5 + GPS EPIRB Manual - ?449 incl VAT
What would it honestly cost for the Government of Malta to make a special concession of No VAT and potentially even make a bulk purchase of PLBs for the local boating community like they entered into an agreement with Microsoft which would allow people to register and purchase a PLB via this government scheme.
PLBs are small and easily fit in someones pocket or can be worn on a belt.
A couple of interesting points in Skip's earlier post.
Unfortunately, it seems that the authorities reasoning in respect of Vat exemptions & concessions etc on these matters borders along the following lines amongst others :-
1 ) A precedent would be set and this would trigger off other requests from other sources/organisations/users for other safety equipment too eg fire extinguishers , first aid kits etc.... the list is endless.
2 ) other reason - if hobbyists can afford fishfinders , rods & reels , other equipment sometimes costing much more than basic safety equipment, EPIRBs, safety flares etc then it is the hobbyist who should revisit his priority list.
Let's face we do not hesitate much to purchase a GPS/ fishfinder worth Euros 500 - 1000 but then put off buying safety equipment because we incorrectly reason that " we might not need it " I guess it's like buying insurance - if something does go wrong it's good to have , but otherwise might be considered as money that could have been spent elsewhere !
3a ) As to bulk purchase - perhaps we as MFF members should look into it and order goods in bulk if there is enough interest. I reckon that if we manage to team up and order say 6 - 12 units we could get a good deal from a local or online supplier.
3b ) Perhaps a new thread could be started - a MFF members safety equipment order or wish list.
Quote from: fishfinder on July 20, 2008, 00:17:44 CET
By the way just to inform you that according to the last info I got from the shop where i bought my vhf is that MMSI are still not working For Malta cause they still have to build the station and France will get only a signal that somewhere with1-3 mile range of a specific area there's a distress signal.
Not sure who told you that, but I was told the same thing I think by RLR but apparently this needs further clarification. An MMSI number is simply an ID number programmed into the radio, and all dsc VHFs transmit that number when you key the mike. It's like caller id on your mobile. The position reporting element of a DSC VHF comes from being NMEA 0183 interfaced with a suitable GPS module. It could be that it's this part this isn't working properly yet, the equipment needed to receive and decode that GPS position information.
Skip,
The info i got was Caruana Marine Centre bir id-deheb( I think that's the name of the shop). The sales man told me that until now they get only a signal same as the one's without MMSI number. Until now they said that they don't have the equipment to identify the MMSI signal from which boat is coming.
I beleive that Alan Cassar was the name of the person responsible for MMSI system. His office is at Valletta water front next to that small parking area.
i have alan's phone number. to-morrow i phone him and ask him about this
Hi Guys, as far as I recall the DSC only transmits the MMSI number and position when the DSC switch is activated, not everytime you use the VHF. At least that is how I think mine works. It could be new models work different. My set is about 11 years old, but was top range at medcoms at that time.
I'm pretty sure that DSC (Digital Selective Calling) allows you to actually call a boat by entering it's MMSI number, and I was pretty sure that your MMSI number was included when you transmit, but I could be wrong here. GPS position information is only sent with the distress button yep. Will read my manual again to be sure.
Im a bit confused about the usage of PLBs and EPIRBs in Malta...if I buy them from the US, will they actually work when using them on my boat in Malta?? Do I have to register them with the maritime authority?? is there license which one has to pay anually of these devices??? Now im too scared to go out with just a VHF!
I did some research today to compare the two. A PLB can be used on land as well as Sea and is registered to the person, not to a boat. You provide emergency contact information when you register etc. Doesn't matter where you buy them from they all work on the same frequency etc, but need programming so I'm not sure if there are any restrictions there. Plus anything coming into Europe needs a CE stamp/certificate on the product or with the product so you'd have to check about that before ordering.
EPIRBs are registered to the boat and contain more particulars, like MMSI number, vessel name, call sign, details about the vessel, emergency contact info etc. They also transmit for double the time that a PLB does (48 hrs vs 24hrs, though the McMurdo Plus series PLB's transmit for 48hrs), contain a powerful strobe light and work best floating in the water.
PLB's need to be held above the water with the antenna pointing skywards and don't have a strobe etc.
Whether a PLB or an EPIRB the general consensus seems to be to spend a bit more and get one with an internal GPS so that your exact position is transmitted as opposed to relying on doppler shifts to acquire your position which sometimes requires several satellite passes and therefore longer in the water.
Yes they work in Malta, you have to register them the Merchant Shipping Directorate of the MMA but as per Legal Notice 206 (2008) there is no fee! If you dont have one, they would then allocate an MMSI number but that costs ?50 here, only applicable to EPIRBs as I understand PLB's don't have an MMSI number programmed in them.
very sad story! i did n't even manage to write something!
i always imagine it was me and one of my kids!
for god's sake why are they saying that fisherman use some type of fireworks in those deep waters! i think this is impossible!
we all know that AFM are not very good at sea! today i see some notice from our beloved prime minister saying that AFM are doing their work! has he ever been at sea? does he know what they are doing sundays afternoon looking and searching for girls in bikinis on boats!
let's all hope we never encounter some peril and need their help because they are not even trained to give their best!
they run on very short budgets and fuel costs are so high nowadays even for sea rescue! While all this is happening i urge all fishing enthusiasts to learn their best at sea because you never know what happens on sea! never run on full speeds especially in the dark times. last time i happened to be at sea i met a half drowned boat which was not visible at all - what happens if someone is running at full speed and hits some type of semi floating material!
encourage all your friends to have their best on their boat....some tips:
extra drinking water in boat, life jackets, first aid kit, flares, if possible a distress call VHF...and never misjudge sea. The sea can be very dangerous when you think it is very safe. Do not let fish make you go crazy! always leave some space in your mind to think about safety even while you're having the best time of your life fishing.
i phoned alan cassar from mca. he told that the AFM are now doing the equipment so that the mmsi works. they are not ready yet. so if you paid the 55 euro for your mmsi number or if you had peace of mind that the distress button on your vhf works you were wrong. you paid for nothing and you would have pressed that button for nothing. how is that for serious aothorities? they just want money not save lives
I told you guy. I was the first one to apply for the MMSI number when I got the letter from radio and telegraphy and Alan told me although they have sent the letter, they where still discussing who and where this will be handled.
can you immagine that you press the distress signal and relax for help and after 24hrs you realize that it's not working :D :D :D
I think that not only the AFM aren't doing their job and the PM insists that everything is fine ;D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D ;D ;D
hudu sunblock guy maghkom halli ma tinharqux 8)
this is crazy, for 11 years I always thought that I was protected better with a DSC attachment, now I find out that all was in vain??? I cannot see why they do sell such equipment and not notify you that system is not activated yet, this considering I got my set from one of the best in malta MEDCOMS.
can someone get in touch with the newspapers and inform them what has been found out? for them to charge for an mmi number and then tell you they havent got the equipment to monitor is a complete rip off
redbus9 all I can say is 'Welcome to Malta'
Redbus you must know that this country is more becoming like a small CUBA. There are many things going wrong and not according to laws but small voices will never get heard!
People in power here do everything to stay in power and it is very difficult to change things! Politics are ruining the place and the media is all in hands of government including what should be a public broadcast services. On the other hand we have a very inefficient opposition who was destructed by people in power and people who have loads of money!
In the menatime i'm at least learning some survival tips to continue spending some free time fishing in the case I am in danger. The idea of adding a sunblock to the list of survival equipment is very good comment!
for up to date information on radio beacons type epirb in your websearch window then click on radio beacons wikepeadia the free encyclopaedia.some beacons will be no use after 1st feb 2009
thanks for your replies,i suppose its like the old question on health and saftey--who is ultimately responsible for your health and safety--ans--i am, if you dont look after your self, don,t expect anyone to do it for you!!
(Shanook) Yes i agree with you all out "Welcome to Malta" we are moning and moning and moning and no one takes action. Why dont we (Malta fishing forum) send an e-mail to Simon busutil or to the one incharge in the EU so they will know about our safety at sea!!
hey guys:- IT IS THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION FOR OUR OWN SAFETY!!!
Quote from: redbus9 on July 23, 2008, 20:14:03 CET
for up to date information on radio beacons type epirb in your websearch window then click on radio beacons wikepeadia the free encyclopaedia.some beacons will be no use after 1st feb 2009
121.5MHz beacons are being retired due to the majority being false alerts and difficulty distinguishing. All EPIRBs/PLBs will be solely based on 406MHz and include a low range 121.5MHz homing beacon for the last mile so to speak.
simon busuttil will tell you that it is not a matter of the eu but a local matter. like he told me when i asked to ivestigate about those who are being robbed by having to pay double registration 'S' and 'MFC'. you can read the letter in another topic
(Busumark) You're right mate, but we should do something and you know much better than me about the need of help. Now it is our matter to know about our safety. Is it working right the dsc button? and if "yes" is any one monitoring it?
And I always told my family don't worry about me I fully equipped.
YEH RIGHT WHAT A JOKE!!!! :):)
yes but simon busutill knows that he can direct you to lodge a complaint that ur rights are being violated by the Gov. then it becomes an EU matter. (dont think he will even think of doing something to hurt his titty)
Simon Buzuttil is not the only MEP in Malta!