The Jersey Coastguard reported that a captain and two crew members were missing after a collision at sea off St Ouen’s Bay around 5.30 a.m. on Thursday. Condor Ferries confirmed that its vessel, the Commodore Goodwill, was involved. The search has been halted overnight, according to Ports of Jersey. The vessel is believed to have sunk in 40m (131ft) of water, according to Harbourmaster Bill Sadler. He stated that the search would necessitate the use of specialised diving resources and that an offshore construction vessel equipped with a remote operation vehicle would be used to confirm the location of the boat. Ports of Jersey said search and rescue services would reconvene before first light on Friday to assess the results of the vehicle search before deciding how to proceed. The search for three crew members onboard the fishing vessel has been halted overnight by rescue teams. The Jersey Coastguard is coordinating the response, according to Ports of Jersey. A large number of local fishing vessels have joined the search. ‘There is still hope.’ Don Thompson, President of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, stated, “Everything is being done at the moment, and there is still hope of finding survivors.” “The fishermen will band together… It’s great to see all of the boys out there.” Mr Thompson reported seeing wreckage on the surface of the water early on. “The fact that one of the boys found the wreckage of the vessel gives a little bit of hope, but you know, it’s still a fluid situation at the moment,” he said. “It’s a small community here, it’s a very close-knit community… It’s obviously at the moment very worrying but it’s still an ongoing situation, there is still hope.” “We can confirm that Commodore Goodwill was involved in a collision with a fishing boat at 05:30 this morning,” Condor Ferries CEO John Napton said. The incident occurred northwest of Jersey while Goodwill was en route from Guernsey to Jersey on her regular sailing.” “The master notified the Jersey coastguard, and Goodwill has aided in the search and rescue.” The company stated that it would cooperate fully with any investigations into the incident. When the incident occurred, the freight vessel, which was carrying five passengers and 24 crew, was sailing from Guernsey to Jersey. To avoid the search area, commercial shipping has been rerouted. Chief Minister Kristina Moore tweeted “thoughts and prayers” to the crew’s families.
