Haiti cargo ship capsizes near Tortuga; passengers safe, goods lost
A cargo ship, the GIS Patriot, capsized on Friday, Aug. 22, off the Tortuga Canal, located between Haiti’s Ile de La Tortue (Tortuga Island) and Port-de-Paix, the main port city of the Northwest Department.
The ship, registered in Port-au-Prince, was transporting goods, including tons of rice and 16 people traveling from Cap-Haïtien to the Miragoâne seaport in Nippes, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
“All passengers are alive — there are 10 crew members and six passengers. All the goods are lost, I cannot evaluate how much money,” Léonel Deshommes, the departmental director of Haiti’s Maritime and Navigation Service (SEMANAH), told The Haitian Times.
With government agencies absent, residents of Tortuga Island rushed to the scene in small boats and wooden canoes to rescue survivors.
“In the absence of coordinated rescue efforts, residents intervened urgently to help save lives, but everything else was lost,” said ship captain Enelran Petit-Homme.
The shipwreck underscores the growing reliance on risky sea travel in Haiti. The 185-mile trip from Cap-Haïtien (north) to Miragoâne (southwest) could once be made in about four hours by road. But with gangs controlling key highways through Port-au-Prince, traders and travelers increasingly turn to maritime routes despite weak safety enforcement.
SEMANAH acknowledged the loss of property but praised the absence of fatalities. In a statement, the agency pledged to step up patrols and safety measures. “The Coast Guard, Civil Protection and SEMANAH are committed to redoubling efforts to strengthen surveillance, maritime security and interventions in Haitian waters,” the agency said.
Similar news
