The fishing vessel, Western Star, sank off St Francis Bay on Monday after a fire broke out on board.
According to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) the 40-foot vessel owned by Knysna Fishing Company, sank while the vessel was at anchor off Paradise Beach.
Samsa said the incident was reported at around midday on Monday.
“All 11 crew members were safely evacuated and are undergoing precautionary medical assessments. No injuries have been reported,” said Samsa.
“A navigation warning has been issued due to the presence of the sunken wreck, which poses a hazard to maritime traffic. At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying approximately 2 000 litres of diesel, 25 litres of oil and other lubricants, as well as an estimated 1 200 kilograms of squid stored in blue plastic bags.”
Samsa, together with relevant authorities, is assessing potential pollution risks and is coordinating the response to the incident with the vessel owner and its representatives.
“Steps are under way to develop plans for pollution response and wreck removal if required. A salvage company is being activated to support response operations, and an incident management system (IMS) structure has been established,” the maritime safety authority said.
Samsa did not provide any details regarding the possible cause of the fire.
