One person was killed when the fishing vessel he was on collided with a sailboat competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, in Hong Kong waters, on Friday afternoon, race organizers informed.
The collision occurred shortly before 1723 UTC between the boat Vestas 11th Hour Racing and a non-racing vessel around 30 miles from the Leg 4 finish line in Hong Kong. This is when Vestas 11th Hour Racing sent a Mayday distress signal to Race Control on behalf of the other vessel.
Then, Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre informed Race Control that a nearby commercial vessel had rescued nine of the crew from the other boat, and a tenth was taken to hospital by helicopter, after he had been rescued from the water by the Vestas 11th Hour Racing crew, according to Phil Lawrence, Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race. However, the airlifted crewmember died later on Saturday morning.
“We offer our deepest condolences to his loved ones and family. We are relieved that the nine other mariners on board were rescued and initial reports have them in good condition,” said Mr. Lawrence.
All Vestas 11th Hour Racing crewmembers are safe and uninjured, but the boat suffered some damage to its hull. The causes of the collision are yet to be determined and an investigation is underway.
“Both Vestas 11th Hour Racing and the Volvo Ocean Race will cooperate with the relevant authorities to establish what happened…Along with Vestas 11th Hour Racing, we are actively working with the Hong Kong Police and the Maritime Authority to support the on-going investigation,” concluded Mr. Lawrence.
The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world’s largest sailing competitions, held every three years.
