Galapagos Boat Parranda Sinks off Bartolome

During the early hours of Tuesday, January 14, 2009, the deluxe class Galapagos yacht, MY Parranda, experienced a serious fire and was lost just off the island of Bartolome.

All 15 passengers (13 from UK, 2 from USA) and 11 crew (all Ecuadorian) were safely evacuated into the zodiacs before being rescued by another yacht (Coral I) and taken to the main island of Santa Cruz.

There are National Park staff on site now assessing the potential environmental impact. Marine accident investigators are on their way to report.

<a href=“http://www.galapagosexpeditions.com/archivos/incident_report.html” target=_blank"Read the full incident report here.

It should be stressed that Parranda belonged to one of the longest established and reputable of boat operators in the Galapagos. It looks as if all reasonable steps had been taken in the maintenance and monitoring of Parranda and that would tally with our experience of this boat and her sister vessels (Grace, Evolution and Alta).

This is a message from Dolores Gangotena de Diaz, the charismatic owner of the Quasar Nautica fleet to which Parranda belonged.

Captain and crew took swift action to follow established procedures, and thankfully all on board were safely evacuated without injury and are well and in good spirits. Unfortunately, the fire spread very quickly and efforts to contain it failed, resulting in the loss of the Parranda.

We know you will have questions about this incident. Our intention is to keep you thoroughly informed on all aspects of what took place from the cause of the accident, to the environmental impact. We also plan to continue to provide updates as events unfold including the response of the Galapagos National Park and actions we plan to take to address this event. We invite you to read the official incident report by clicking on the following links:

Parranda’s Recent Refurbishment
The Parranda has been one of the flagships of the Enchanted Islands. When we sent her into dry dock this fall our intention was to upgrade all her equipment and cosmetics. Our aim was to provide passengers with an unparalleled Galapagos tour product.

We fully committed our valuable resources to bringing the Parranda and other yachts of our fleet to this high standard. When the Parranda emerged with new engines and completely refurbished we were more than pleased with the result and so were our passengers.

We are therefore shocked at this great loss, not only to us, but to so many who loved the spirit of the Parranda. The actual cause for the fire is yet to be determined and we do not want to speculate until we get an official report from the surveying company designated by the Insurance company. We will keep you posted on this matter.

What Will Happen to Guests Currently Booked on the Parranda for 2009?

For passengers booked on the Parranda for the remainder of 2009, we have already reserved space for them aboard other yachts in our fleet (Alta, Evolution and Grace).

We fully intend to review these changes with you as soon as possible. If we have not yet been in touch with you personally, we apologize for the delay and kindly ask for your patience. We’ve spent the last 24 hours preoccupied with sorting out the most pressing matters related to this incident and assure you that addressing your passengers booked on the Parranda is a high priority.

Safety Aboard All Our Galapagos Vessels
All our Galapagos yachts, including M/Y Parranda undergo strict safety inspections every year and after each dry dock period. Our yachts are certified to operate by numerous overarching national and international regulations which include the Galapagos National Park, DIGMER and ISM (International, Classification Society and Port State Inspections etc.).

In addition, our crew members and guides are very well trained in safety and evacuation procedures, which is why the crew onboard Parranda was able to evacuate all guests to safety and carry out the most important job of any crew member and captain, which is to preserve life at sea above all else. Material loss, including the loss of a prized yacht, necessarily takes a back seat to the preservation of life and the well being of both passengers and crew.

Among the inspections and inspection reports is a very detailed Conditions Survey, required by Insurers Marsh Ltd. and Shipowners, which covers our fleet. In addition, inspection certifications are required by DIGMER (Ecuador’s Marine Merchant Entity). We can assure all our clients that the Alta and Evolution (and soon the Grace), currently operating in Galapagos, meet all of these safety regulations.

In face of the loss of the Parranda, we have contracted a detailed “condition survey” that solely relates to safety. This survey will be carried out in our fleet starting this Saturday, January 17, and the report will be ready and sent to all of you late next week.

The Institute that has been hired for this survey is the International Institute of Marine Surveying (England) Website: www.iims.org.uk, which is the most recognized (and largest) association of Marine Surveyors around the world. They are surveyors for various Galapagos cruise operators. These reports will be sent out to all our clients so as to reassure each of you that there are no safety concerns with our other Galapagos vessels. If there is even a hint of a problem it will be addressed immediately. This is our top priority.

Next Steps
As you may know, Quasar has another yacht, which will be more upscale than the Parranda, waiting in the wings. This vessel has a long and distinguished history including one of surviving adversity; she took part in what Winston Churchill termed “the miracle of deliverance” of the British Army from the beaches of Dunkirk in WWII and was later decorated for her actions in the Royal Navy. We’ve rechristened her the Grace in honor of Grace Kelly, who spent her honeymoon with Prince Rainier aboard her and was the Royal yacht of Monaco for over a decade.