A tourist launch identified as the “Sea Spirit” began sinking in the Gebel El Zeit area off Ras Ghareb, in the northern Red Sea Governorate, on Tuesday evening, triggering a rescue operation and — separately — coinciding with a new national maritime security advisory issued by Egyptian authorities the same week.
The vessel sent a distress signal after taking on water near the coast. GAPCO (Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company) and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation received the distress call and dispatched marine rescue units to the scene. The boat was carrying five crew members and no passengers at the time of the incident.
Multiple Egyptian outlets, citing sources close to the rescue operation, initially reported that all five crew members were recovered safely with no injuries or fatalities. Authorities began drafting the incident report and notified investigative bodies to determine the cause of the sinking, which remains officially unconfirmed — possible factors under review include mechanical failure or adverse sea conditions.
Red Sea Governor Walid El Barqy was later quoted by the news outlet Cairo24 stating that one crew member died in the incident — a claim that directly conflicts with the earlier no-casualty reports from other outlets. Diventures has not been able to independently verify this fatality through a second source and continues to treat it as unconfirmed pending an official statement from the Red Sea Governorate or the Public Prosecution. No cause of death, identity, or further detail has been released.
Separate Development: National Maritime Security Advisory
In an unrelated development issued the same day, Egypt’s Authority for Maritime Safety (EAMS) published Advisory No. 07/2026, dated July 14, 2026, addressed to all Egyptian seafarers and shipping companies. The advisory cites current security and geopolitical developments affecting maritime zones around the world and urges maximum caution before engaging with or sailing toward high-risk or conflict-affected waters. It calls on shipping companies and vessel masters to fully comply with international safety and security procedures, including the 1974 SOLAS Convention and the ISPS Code, to review company- and vessel-specific security risk assessments, follow approved ship security plans, and immediately report any threats to crew or vessel safety. This advisory addresses global maritime security risks broadly and does not reference the Ras Ghareb incident specifically.
Gebel El Zeit, just north of Ras Ghareb, has seen several vessel-safety incidents in recent years, including a fatal oil rig sinking in July 2025 and a separate tourist launch sinking in February 2025 in which all crew survived. The Red Sea remains one of Egypt’s most important diving and tourism destinations, hosting large volumes of dive trips, yachts, and tourist launches annually around Hurghada, Ras Ghareb, Marsa Alam, and El Gouna, under continuous regulatory oversight of vessel safety and licensing.
This is a developing story. Diventures will update this report as confirmed details emerge on both the Sea Spirit casualty report and any further guidance from Egyptian maritime authorities.
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