Haiti authorities halt search after Petit-Goâve shipwreck leaves dozens missing

PORT-DE-PAIX— Over 72 hours after the tragic sinking of a ship registered in Port-de-Paix—the capital city of Haiti’s Northwest Department—under La Cecilia Q561 PDP, officials from the Maritime and Navigation Service (SEMANAH) confirmed that the desperate search for more survivors or the bodies of the many missing passengers has been unsuccessful and has now halted. 

The ship, which was traveling from Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, to Miragoâne—a journey of about 50 to 60 nautical miles—sank in deep waters early Saturday morning, Dec. 14. It was overloaded with dozens of passengers and merchandise, notably food and fuel. The tragedy occurred around 3:40 a.m. near Cocoye Beach in Petit-Goâve, about 40 nautical miles southwest of the National Port Authority (APN), Port-au-Prince’s main seaport, after the boat began to fill with water from below, survivors said.

“We intervened late because we received the news at 5 a.m., nearly two hours after the incident,” said Léopold Jean-Louis, a SEMANAH inspector with 22 years of experience. “The boat left Port-au-Prince overloaded with goods, fuel, and passengers. It sustained a crack in its hull, which caused water to enter and sink it.”

Jean-Louis explained that SEMANAH has only one operational flyboat in Petit-Goâve, limiting their ability to conduct thorough search and rescue missions. “We lack proper equipment. A helicopter would have made a real difference,” he said. “Our flyboat continues to comb the area, but we still don’t have a complete count of those aboard the ship.”

The director of Notre Dame de Petit-Goâve Hospital, Fred Jasmin, was among the first rescuers mobilized with a small flyboat in a perilous mission to save lives. “Responding to desperate calls from passengers onboard the sinking La Cecilia, we risked all against the giant sea waves and rip currents to try to save as many people as we could,” Dr. Jasmin told The Haitian Times in a phone interview. 

“After setting up our flyboat, we sailed on the waters around the site of the tragedy,” Jasmin said. “When we arrived in the area, we didn’t see any trace of the ship; we only found a few survivors bracing for life and a dead man floating in the water, who is now in the hospital morgue.”

“After setting up our flyboat, we sailed on the waters around the site of the tragedy. When we arrived in the area, we didn’t see any trace of the ship; we only found a few survivors bracing for life and a dead man floating in the water, who is now in the hospital morgue.”

Fred Jasmin, Director of Notre Dame Hospital in Petit-Goâve

Haitian authorities do not know the exact number of people on the ship. They only rely on survivors’ accounts that the vessel was overcrowded and overloaded with merchandise.

“One of the survivors, who suffered fractures in his lower limbs, told me he didn’t know the exact number of passengers on board, but he mentioned that the boat was full of people,” Dr. Jasmin of Notre Dame de Petit-Goâve said.

“People turn to boats as an alternative to navigating roads controlled by gangs,” Jean-Louis said. “But these voyages are dangerous, and tragedies like this are becoming too common.”

Safety challenges posed by Gang controlled roads and maritime infrastructure risks lead to a  lack of reliable travel

With rising insecurity on Haiti’s land routes, more travelers rely on maritime transport. However, their journeys remain perilous due to poorly maintained boats, overloading, and improper inspections. Still, the threat of gang attacks at sea remains.

Faced with the escalating insecurity for nearly two years, people no longer hesitate to risk their lives at sea to flee an insurmountable situation. The laxity of the authorities against the armed gangs that control most of Port-au-Prince continues to push Haitians to make extreme decisions, often at their peril.

During the same weekend of the boat incident, the Haitian capital endured hours of terror, marked by a series of extreme violence and unrest, leading to several deaths and the destruction of private property, including homes and a major Protestant church in Porte Marchand, near the National Palace. During clashes with the Haitian National Police (PNH), the notorious gang leader known as Kendy “Jeff Mafia”—the second-in-command of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition after Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier—along with several other members, was killed. 

“We intervened late because we received the news at 5 a.m., nearly two hours after the incident. The boat left Port-au-Prince overloaded with goods, fuel, and passengers. It sustained a crack in its hull, which caused water to enter and sink it.”

 Léopold Jean-Louis, Inspector of Haiti’s Maritime and Navigation Service  

The incident highlights longstanding issues within Haiti’s maritime safety infrastructure. SEMANAH, created in 1982 under the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, and Telecommunications (MTPTC), remains ill-equipped to respond to emergencies. Despite its mandate to regulate and oversee maritime transport, the agency lacks the logistics and resources necessary to safeguard passengers and property.

“We are struggling to enforce safety regulations due to a lack of resources,” Jean-Louis said. “This boat was registered and legally recognized, but overloaded vessels remain a constant risk.”

The director of SEMANAH’s Northwest office, Léonel Deshommes, confirmed that La Cecilia had been inactive for five months before resuming operations between Port-au-Prince and Miragoâne. “This vessel last operated in July,” Deshommes said. Deshommes did not explain why the ship was not operational in the first place. “Its owner, Cécile Blanc, had it anchored at the Port-de-Paix wharf, which has been dysfunctional for over two decades,” Deshommes said.

The post Haiti authorities halt search after Petit-Goâve shipwreck leaves dozens missing appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Haiti authorities halt search after Petit-Goâve shipwreck leaves dozens missing was first posted on December 17, 2024 at 4:02 pm.