Three AMSOL employees died and two remained missing on Thursday after a fast rescue boat launched from the South African emergency towing vessel Umkhuseli capsized during an emergency response off Mossel Bay.

"It is with a deep sense of sadness that we confirm the passing of three of our much loved and respected colleagues," AMSOL Chief Executive Dan Ngakane said.

The September 30 incident occurred about 47 nautical miles south of Mossel Bay, with the Umkhuseli on safety standby near an offshore platform. AMSOL, the vessel's operator, and the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said a crew member fell overboard while working on deck.

What went wrong during the rescue attempt?

Four other crew members launched the Umkhuseli's fast rescue boat to recover the missing seafarer. The rescue boat subsequently capsized, placing all five people in the water. The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Cape Town activated a sea and air search-and-rescue response, diverting nearby commercial vessels and dispatching the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), the South African Police Service water wing and helicopter resources.

AMSOL recovered three crew members on Wednesday and confirmed their deaths. Two others remained missing as of Thursday. SAMSA later announced that the active search-and-rescue operation had concluded, although AMSOL's tug Inkanyezi stayed on station as recovery efforts continued.

Who were the victims?

All five people in the water were AMSOL employees. The company said one was from Durban and four were from Cape Town. AMSOL said it had been in direct contact with the families of all five seafarers and is providing support.

What role does the Umkhuseli play?

AMSOL operates the Umkhuseli under a partnership with South Africa's Department of Transport and SAMSA. The vessel maintains continuous standby for:

• Emergency towage
• Salvage operations
• Environmental protection response
• Search-and-rescue missions
• Other maritime emergency duties

The Umkhuseli has supported several commercial shipping emergencies around the South African coast in 2025. According to AMSOL, those operations included responding to disabled and drifting commercial vessels off Algoa Bay, Port Alfred and Cape Town.

Why does this matter for commercial shipping?

The incident zone falls within South Africa's Western Cape approach corridors, where commercial vessels routinely transit between Atlantic and Indian Ocean ports. Emergency towing and response vessels such as the Umkhuseli provide a critical safety net for commercial traffic along the country's high-volume sea lanes.

The loss highlights the occupational risk carried by small specialist crews aboard emergency-response tugs that commercial shippers and operators rely on for incident response around the South African coast.

What comes next?

AMSOL has launched internal and external investigations into the capsize. SAMSA has opened a preliminary inquiry. Investigators have not yet identified a cause for the rescue boat's capsize, and the MRCC's activated assets have since stood down pending that inquiry's findings. Commercial operators with vessels trading the South African coast should expect SAMSA's preliminary inquiry to set the timeline for any fleet-wide safety directives affecting emergency-response vessels.