by InTrieste
Two sailors were rescued Wednesday after their 12-meter catamaran capsized in rough seas near Aurisina, north of Trieste, as powerful winds and near-zero visibility swept across the Gulf of Trieste.
The rescue operation was coordinated by the Trieste Coast Guard after its emergency operations center received multiple distress calls through the national maritime emergency number 1530. Weather conditions had rapidly deteriorated, with sea state reaching level 4, visibility reduced to almost zero, and wind gusts approaching 80 kilometers per hour.
A Coast Guard patrol boat was dispatched to the scene, while the Provincial Fire Department of Trieste was also mobilized. Authorities additionally diverted the Italian passenger vessel Summer Breeze, which was navigating nearby, to assist with the emergency.
By the time rescuers arrived, the catamaran had overturned. Crew members aboard the Summer Breeze recovered the two people from the water before transferring them safely ashore at the harbor of Sistiana, where an ambulance was waiting.
The survivors, identified as Austrian and Swedish citizens, were examined by medical personnel and found to be in good health.
The capsized vessel remained at sea because conditions made recovery too dangerous. Coast Guard officials said the owner will retrieve the catamaran as soon as weather and sea conditions improve. No fuel spills or marine pollution were reported.
The incident occurred during a Neverin, a sudden and intense Adriatic windstorm characteristic of the Trieste area. Though typically brief, the phenomenon is notorious among local mariners for producing violent gusts capable of overwhelming vessels caught unprepared.
The Coast Guard urged boaters to consult weather forecasts before heading out to sea, warning that rapidly changing conditions can quickly become hazardous.
