A weeks-long maritime ordeal in the Eastern Caribbean has reached a somber conclusion, with rescuers confirming one fisherman dead and five others pulled to safety after the group went missing off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. All six men are citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who were working aboard the fishing vessel MV ST. VINCENT VII when the emergency unfolded.
In an official update released Thursday, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Defence detailed the final steps of the cross-border rescue operation that brought the surviving crew back to their home country. At roughly 10:22 p.m. on July 22, the five unharmed fishermen were transferred from the merchant vessel MV MARVEL KITE, which had recovered them at sea, to units of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard at a pre-arranged meeting point in regional waters. From the rendezvous, the coast guard transported the group directly to the Kingstown Cruise Ship Terminal on the main island of St. Vincent.
Immediately upon their arrival, the five survivors received on-site preliminary medical checks before emergency services transported them via ambulance to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the country’s main public health facility, for more comprehensive evaluation and any required treatment. Officials confirmed the body of the deceased fisherman, 50-year-old Anthony Murray, was recovered later that same day, and he was formally pronounced dead at 11:23 p.m. Wednesday by attending physician Dr. Snaggs. Murray’s remains have since been moved to the hospital’s morgue to await formal arrangements.
Local authorities have put support systems in place for the returning fishermen ahead of their discharge from hospital. St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Fisheries Department has secured accommodations for the crew at the Cobblestone Hotel in central Kingstown, where they can recover amid the aftermath of their days-long ordeal at sea.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the national government have publicly extended formal thanks to their neighboring counterparts for the coordinated cross-agency support that made the rescue operation possible. In the official media statement announcing the update, the government noted: “The Government of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to express its gratitude to the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for providing yeoman service and for all the courtesies and considerations graciously extended to us during this difficult time.”
The Ministry of Defence has committed to releasing additional public updates in the coming hours regarding final plans for the repatriation of the surviving crew members and the processing of Murray’s remains for burial.