What Crew Members Say About Timberland

On December 19, 2024, a crew member aboard the 'Timberland', which was traveling from Damietta to Fredericia, required urgent medical attention approximately 28 nautical miles southwest of Cádiz. In response to the distress signal, the CCS Tarifa of Salvamento Marítimo promptly dispatched the SAR helicopter Helimer 220 to the location. The helicopter successfully hoisted the affected crew member and transported him to Jerez Airport, where an ambulance was on standby to provide further medical care.

The intensive search for the second missing crew member from the vessel 'Timberland' was officially terminated in the late morning hours of November 26. Following discussions with relevant stakeholders, authorities reached the difficult decision to halt the operation. Despite the conclusion of the main search efforts, a Coast Guard aircraft is scheduled to conduct aerial overflights in the vicinity of Terschelling later in the day to continue monitoring the situation.

In a heartbreaking incident, two crew members from the cargo vessel Timberland went overboard while en route from Gävle to Alexandria, approximately 110 kilometers north of Terschelling on November 25, 2012, at around 4:05 PM. A distress signal was promptly dispatched, but the challenging conditions made rescue efforts difficult; both helicopters deployed struggled against strong winds. The German Navy launched a helicopter from Borkum, which managed to locate two blinking lights but lacked the fuel necessary to conduct a thorough investigation. While a smoke marker was deployed, a Dutch helicopter was diverted to the site and successfully retrieved one individual, unfortunately confirming he had already succumbed. Under severe pressure to conserve fuel, this helicopter made a hasty return to the nearby offshore platform G17a. A merchant vessel reported sighting a life vest's light belonging to the second missing crew member, but the Dutch helicopter could not launch due to dangerous wind conditions. Efforts by KNRM lifeboats were hampered as one vessel encountered engine trouble and required escort back to the station. At the time, the region was experiencing a severe gale from the southwest, with wave heights reaching an alarming 10 meters and water temperatures hovering around 8 to 9 degrees Celsius. Both crew members had donned life vests, but sadly, neither was equipped with survival suits. As night fell and weather worsened, the search was reluctantly suspended but resumed the following morning, November 26.