What Crew Members Say About Liesel-Essberger

On April 23, 2012, the tanker 'Liesel Essberger', on a voyage from Dagenham to Algeciras, participated in a crucial search and rescue (SAR) operation off the rugged French coastline. This effort was initiated after the 20-meter harbour tug 'Aquarius', built in 1965, encountered severe weather conditions and sunk, leaving one crew member unaccounted for and feared dead. At the time of its distress, the tug was making its way from La Coruna to Plymouth when it issued a mayday call at 6:20 a.m., indicating that it was taking on water and in danger of sinking. Just ten minutes following the urgent distress signal, the 'Aquarius' submerged. Of the three crew members on board, two managed to escape into a life raft, while the third was unable to reach safety and has since gone missing. Two of the crew who were rescued were identified as locals from Wembury and Plymouth; they were promptly airlifted by a French rescue helicopter and taken to a military hospital in Brest for treatment of hypothermia and shock. The search efforts continued through the day, involving multiple ships and aerial units conducting extensive searches near the island of Ushant until nightfall, but sadly the fate of the missing man, believed to be from the Derby area, remains uncertain.