Video: Tourists rescued after sailing boat hit by cargo vessel in Caribbean
Image courtesy of Caribbean Naval Force/@FNC_ArmadaCol on X.com
Two British tourists were among 20 people rescued after a sailing vessel was struck by a cargo ship and sank off Colombia’s Caribbean coast in the early hours of 3 January.
The collision occurred off the coast near Cartagena, according to Colombian authorities. Those on board the sailing boat abandoned the vessel and entered emergency life rafts after the captain issued a Mayday alert.
Colombian naval personnel responded to the incident and assisted the passengers and crew. Video footage released by rescuers showed those involved being brought to safety and transported to land, where medical checks were carried out. No injuries were reported.
The Colombian Ministry of Defence says in a statement: “We rescued 20 people in waters near Cartagena, thanks to the rapid response of our Colombian Navy sailors.”
The Cartagena Coast Guard Station received the distress call at around 4.40am on 3 January 2026 via emergency line 146. A Rapid Response Unit was deployed to the location following reports that a sailboat had been struck by a cargo ship and had sunk shortly afterwards.
Authorities said those rescued included nationals from several countries. A further statement adds: “Among those rescued were Colombian, Swedish, German, and French citizens, among others.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the protection of human life at sea, security, and the control of our maritime borders.”
Felipe Portilla, commander of the Cartagena Coast Guard Station, provided further details of the rescue operation. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he says: “The call that came in said a sailing boat that was travelling between Panama and Colombia had sunk off Bocachica near Cartagena.
“The people rescued were in life rafts when the two rapid response vessels that were mobilised located them. The 20 people whose lives were saved consisted of the captain, three crew and 16 people of different nationalities.”
The sailing vessel involved has not been officially identified by authorities. However, Italian skipper Rudolf Gamberoni later spoke publicly to thank rescuers and described the collision. He says: “A small cargo vessel hit us and made a big hole in our side. It didn’t have any lights. Our boat sank in a question of just a few minutes. Luckily we are safe and many thanks to the coastguards who rescued us so quickly.”
The group is believed to have been travelling on a five-day, four-night sailing trip between Panama and Colombia, having departed from the San Blas Islands on 30 December 2025. The vessel was operating as a passenger sailing trip and was carrying tourists of multiple nationalities.
Colombian authorities say investigations are ongoing to identify the cargo vessel involved in the incident. Local reports indicated that the ship may have continued without stopping, with the possibility that its skipper was not aware that a collision had occurred.
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