According to DIMAR, The Colombian Navy has intensified the search and rescue operation for a Bolivian-flagged vessel that was lost in the Colombian Caribbean Sea, off the coast of the South American country.
According to the Colombian General Maritime Authority (Dimar), the Maritime and River Traffic Control Station San José received the alert call from the maritime agency of the motor vessel, last Thursday, January 21, they started the coordination for the search and rescue of the Carmen I ship.
DIMAR stated that “Upon learning of the last position in Colombian waters 60 miles (96.5 km) from Cartagena, registered by the Bolivian-flagged vessel, which sailed with ten crew members from Panama bound for La Guajira, the Maritime Authority gave notice to all merchant vessels that were in the area, in order to locate the vessel; action replicated by the Port Captaincies of the Colombian Caribbean coast”.
Furthermore, DIMAR indicated that “from the Oceanographic and Hydrographic Research Center of the Caribbean, the search pattern was elaborated as technical input for the search and rescue operation currently being carried out by the Caribbean Naval Force with ships of the Colombian Navy and aircrafts of the Colombian Air Force”.
The search and rescue actions have been officially notified by the General Maritime Directorate to the maritime authorities of Panama and Bolivia. Meanwhile, the Colombian Navy and the General Maritime Directorate continue with the development of maritime and air patrols to find the location of the vessel and its crew.
Carmen I is a general cargo ship built in 1966. The vessel is 54.03 meters long and has a beam of 9.1 meters.