Mishap For Newly Purchased Albacora Seiner

The purse seiner ‘Beti Aurrera’ has been docked in the port of Madagascar for maintenance since early June and capsized on its starboard side just a day ago. Atuna contacted its Spanish owner, Albacora Group, whose spokesperson confirmed the incident, but could not comment yet as it is still unknown what caused the rollover in the dry dock. That has to be investigated before an official statement can be issued. The first reactions were posted on social media after news site Puente De Mando reported the incident. “I have never heard of anything like this happening. For everything there is a first time,” was one of the reactions.

The 85-meter-long vessel was formerly named ‘Playa de Aritzatzu’ and rechristened after the Albacora Group bought the seiner from Pevasa in January under its subsidiary Isabella Fishing, based in Seychelles. The vessel remained flagged to Seychelles with Port Victoria as its home base and has been listed under its new name in the IOTC vessel register as of February 3, 2025.