The incident took place early Wednesday when the Egyptians’ fishing boat got into trouble while they were operating in international waters. They were rescued by a Saudi Aramco oil tanker sailing nearby.
“The command and control center of the border guards in Jazan received information from the Saudi Navy that they had received a SOS call from an Egyptian fishing boat named Baraka Al-Haj Muhammad,” a spokesman of the border guards told SPA.
“We immediately instructed our marine units as well as the border guards on Farasan Island to do whatever possible to save the fishermen,” the spokesman said.
The border guards then coordinated with a Saudi Aramco oil tanker, which was eight nautical miles closer to the Egyptian boat, which rescued them.
The border guards later took the fishermen on its boat to Saudi shores so they could receive necessary medical care, the spokesman said.
“We also informed the commander of the Egyptian border guards that the fishermen are safe and were being taken care of.”
The Ataka seaport in Egypt's province of Suez said they had received an emergency message from the Baraka, saying the vessel snagged something and was damaged, Egypt’s MENA news agency reported. “All crew members were rescued and taken to a Saudi seaport,” the agency added.
Meanwhile, Wafd newspaper's website reported that the boat sank early Wednesday morning because the crew failed to fix its inoperative engines and lost control amid hazardous weather conditions.
Wafd pointed out that the boat sailed from Ataka two weeks ago and planned to fish for one month in the Red Sea.
Syed Muhammad, captain of the fishing boat, thanked the Saudi authorities for saving the fishermen from virtual death. "Four days ago the boat was working as usual without any problem. Suddenly its engine collapsed. Although the area surrounding the boat is known for sharks, I went down to check what was wrong with the engine to save the people on board," he said.
Muhammad said they were calling for help from other ships when he lost all hope to repair the engine. "We were running out of food and the boat started sinking. At this time we saw a Saudi ship coming closer to our boat. We thanked God for his great blessing."
Last December Saudi Border Guards in Jazan rescued a Sri Lankan sailor after they received information from the captain of The CSCL Long Beach that he was injured during his journey from Spain to Malaysia.
The 40-year-old Janaka Susantha Balasuriya suffered a serious hand injury while carrying out his duty as a fitter on the liner. Measures were taken by the guards to provide the sailor with necessary medical care before sending him to his country.
Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Ayedi, commander of Border Guards in Jazan, noted the role of marine patrol officers in providing guidance and other assistance to sailors in addition to its basic duty of safeguarding the Kingdom’s border security.
