Polascianan naval vessels have tonight joined a large-scale search and rescue operation that is underway in the Long Sea. A response team from four nations are seeking to track and trace the movements of the Alsace tanker-ship that was due to dock at Sereniérre‘s Hadigny-les-Verrieres port, at around 6.30am this morning. The final location of the ship is thought to have been received at around 5am, placing the tanker around 200 miles from the port town in the Long Sea. The alarm was raised sometime after 6am when communication had been lost with the crew for over an hour. Naval forces from neighbouring countries are tonight attempting to scour the area for clues as to the whereabouts of the ship – with concern that high winds, and choppy waters, had forced it into a maritime and air exclusion zone that operates in the Long Sea, designed to protect passing traffic from straying into areas known as prone to attacks from the Solarian regime, in southern Gallia.
The Alsace is a heavy tanker, that is registered to the Sereniérre state oil company – and regularly operates trips across the Long Sea and Great Sea between the nation and oil selling partners such as Jurzan and Khalistan. The Foreign Minister, Asta Dahn, has reportedly been in long exchanges with her counterparts across the continent throughout the day, ordering Polascianan naval forces already patrolling the area, to join the search. Polascianan forces have been involved in establishing the maritime boundary near the Lier border since 2011 – and has cooperated with nations of the Gallian Defence Federation (GDF) to undertake several mission tours in the area over a number of years, particularly in protecting and defending Nicosia. Naval and air patrols of the Polascianan island and border regions have doubled in that time, and a large number of forces are now permanently based at Belev, in the south of Polasciana. Dahn, speaking earlier to a foreign news network said that the situation was ‘very serious and concerning’ – with many reports suggesting that the ship is thought to have clearly crossed into the exclusion zone.
Whilst no statement has been made by the Solarian regime in northern Lierland at this time, Gallian governments are attempting to establish a channel of communication. An advisor to the Belmonté government earlier commented that it was ‘essential and right’ that countries reached out to the regime of the so-called ‘Pope’ in Torrence, in an attempt to ‘calm and control’ any situation. With no formal breaches of the zone since its installation, there have always been fears that heavy weather patterns in the Long Sea have the potential to blow ships off course – which is thought to have contributed to the capture of 35 Nicosian fishermen by Solarian ships in early 2013. Governments are today attempting to avoid any repeat of that situation – where there were no survivors when the fishing ship was later found. The regime claimed responsibility for all the deaths in its first official statement for over a year.
It is thought that up to 40 crew work on the Alsace, although details have not been confirmed. The government company that operates the tanker has stated that it will not make any formal declarations regarding the ship or the situation until it has been located – fearing a hostage negotiation. Experts supporting the search mission have warned that the likelihood of finding the ship, with the crew alive, is ‘slim’ and that it is ‘imperative’ that the search is widened and escalated as soon as possible. The Polascianan navy is using the latest technological equipment to support Chaumont in the search, alongside crews from Belmonté, Eiffelland and Talemantros. Havenshire, with one of the biggest naval forces in the region, is expected to send ships to the area this evening to help with the efforts over the next 24 hours. Families of those thought to be on-board are gathering at the Hadigny-les-Verrieres port, but are expecting a long and difficult few hours, and days, ahead.
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