JEDDAH: Saudi border guards in Jazan saved the lives of 17 Turkish sailors after the ship in which they were traveling nearly sank on Saturday as a result of engine failure.
The incident took place 100 nautical miles off Jazan while the ship Asra-C was sailing from Turkey to the United Arab Emirates, carrying 15,000 meters of aluminum ore and silica.
Lt. Col. Salim Al-Salami, spokesman of the border guards, said the command and control room in Jazan received a call at 4.14 p.m. last Tuesday saying the ship’s engine had suffered technical faults.
“Two patrol boats of the border guards then rushed to the ship and provided necessary relief and first-aid to its crewmembers,” he said.
Last Wednesday the ship’s captain informed the border guards that water was entering the ship.
“As a result of delay in repair work from the part of the ship’s owners more water entered and it was about to drown. A patrol boat of the border guards later saved the crewmembers,” he explained.
The engine failure caused the ship to list, which allowed water to seep into the hull.
