BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - While en route to Nevis last evening (Sept. 3), the Sea Bridge encountered problems which caused it to be thrown onto some rocks.
It is reported that shortly after 7:00 p.m., due to high winds and poor visibility the vessel ran into some difficulty after it encounter a ‘swell’ and was tossed onto some rocks. Members of the Coast Guard of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force were deployed to rescue the passengers and crew onboard the vessel.
Public Affairs Officer of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force Captain Kayode Sutton told SKNVibes that shortly after departing St. Kitts, the Sea Bridge stumbled into difficulty.
“They were some passengers onboard and it was departing St. Kitts for Nevis. As soon as it departed they came across a swell and, of course, you know there was weather in the area and it ran into the swell, and I suppose visibility was poor and they ran into some problems.
“They were swept into rocks but they were not too far from the shore. The Coast Guard went to the scene as well as some other vessels. The Sea Quest from Nevis was also there and helped to take the passengers off the vessel. Following that, the Coast Guard vessels took the captain to Nevis to get Sea Bridge Two to pull off Sea Bridge One.”
He added that after they had pulled the vessel from the rocks, it sailed safely to Nevis without assistance and there was no sign of damage.
“When they pulled it off from where it was stuck on the rock, it was able to sail by itself to Nevis. There was no visible damage at the time but later on today an assessment will be done to know the extent of damage that might have occurred.”
Sutton however confirmed that no one was injured despite the incident.
“Nobody was injured. The vessel was not at top speed, it was just pulling out when it ran into a swell. There was rain, high wind and visibility would have been impaired as well. All the passengers were taken off in quick time.
“Fortunately, there were no injuries; all the passengers were taken off in quick time and transported to land and the Coast Guard stayed on scene to assist the captains.”
