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Life and death operation saves crew as ship breaks in two
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In a major life-saving operation, all 31 crew of the Liberian bulk carrier 'Fedra' which went aground at Gibraltar were rescued by dawn on Saturday. It was an all-night operation involving a helicopter and an improvised rescue system involving a giant crane and 'cage'.
The 35,000 tonne ship, on ballast, hit the rocks off Europa Point on Friday in severe weather conditions. It later broke in half, not far from where the New Flame has been for over a year in a salvage operation.
The conditions were described as "frightening." After the ship had hit the rocks, the crew were asked to go on deck for the daring rescue operation as heavy seas pounded the vessel.
Five were initially rescued by a helicopter from Spanish maritime service but it had to abandon the rescue given the difficult weather conditions.
Meanwhile, Gibraltar's emergency services, who led the rescue bid in strong winds and rough seas, hoisted crew members using a large crane that had been installed on Europa Point using an improvised cradle.
Police, fire brigade, army, port - everyone was there in the all-night operation.
Chief Minister Peter Caruana was also at the scene, later congratulating everyone for a job well done. The mosque was used as the headquarters of the operation.
By dawn Saturday the remaining crew had been lifted off the stricken vessel and all were taken to hospital initially and later housed in a local hotel.
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