By Se-Anne Rall
The National Sea Rescue Institute suspects that the utility vessel, Hawk, which went missing off the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast last week, has sunk.
All four crewmen - Bruce Shane van Wyk, 30, from Port Elizabeth; Andrew Jegels, 51, from Mossel Bay; and Thierry Gombuka, 38, and Moegamed Borsardien, 55, both from Cape Town - are presumed dead.
"We are unsure how the Hawk met her fate, but we know it happened in the vicinity of Port Shepstone on the South Coast," said NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon.
The Hawk was en route from Richards Bay to Cape Town when it went missing. Lambinon said the last communication with the boat was made last Wednesday evening.
"The vessel was reported overdue at its port of call in East London on Friday afternoon, and a search operation was launched by the NSRI stations along the coast, together with the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, the South African Air Force, South African Navy, private aircraft and a number of private boats," he said.
A raft and a life-jacket were found off the South Coast.