The Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service (Speis) of Alicante City Council has successfully rescued 11 people on Saturday 18th July after a diving company catamaran sank in waters to the southeast of Tabarca Island.
The accident was reported by Maritime Rescue (Sasemar) to the municipal service, who activated the Speis II vessel as a first intervention resource. This deployment was carried out under a collaboration agreement recently signed between both entities, according to a statement released by the council. The local authority highlighted that the rapid response of the municipal personnel proved to be decisive in ensuring the success of the rescue operation.
At the time the alert was received, the Speis II vessel was on duty as part of the special summer outpost established on Tabarca Island. This strategic positioning allowed the crew to reach the location of the incident in just a few minutes and proceed with the immediate rescue of the 11 occupants of the catamaran.
Thanks to this prompt intervention, the council emphasised that all those affected were located and assisted straight away, preventing the incident from resulting in more serious consequences. The rescued individuals did not suffer any injuries and are safe and sound.
The Councillor for Security, Julio Calero, stressed that this rescue is a practical demonstration of the effectiveness of the measures recently introduced by Alicante City Council to reinforce maritime security around Tabarca.
“The launch of the special summer outpost with the presence of the Speis II vessel on the island has meant a substantial improvement in emergency response capacity in an area that records high nautical activity during the summer season,” the councillor stated.
Furthermore, Calero explained that the recent collaboration agreement signed with Maritime Rescue is allowing Speis resources to be fully integrated into the maritime emergency response system, optimising coordination between agencies and significantly reducing intervention times when human lives may be at risk.
“The action carried out this Saturday highlights that the investments made to strengthen security in the maritime environment of Alicante and Tabarca not only improve the operational capacity of emergency services but also have a direct impact on protecting the physical integrity and lives of individuals,” the Councillor for Security indicated.
In this specific case, he detailed that the proximity of the Speis personnel to the scene of the sinking, along with the activation through established protocols with Maritime Rescue, were decisive factors in achieving the successful rescue of the 11 people involved.
Both the Councillor for Security and the management of Speis praised the professionalism of the participating personnel and the excellent coordination maintained with Maritime Rescue throughout the emergency. They underlined that the operation confirms the success of the measures adopted to strengthen coverage and security in the waters of Alicante and Tabarca Island.
