#VOR - A collision overnight between Volvo Ocean Race vessel Vestas 11th Hour Racing and a fishing boat off Hong Kong has resulted in the death of a fisherman.
The incident occurred approximately 30 miles from the finish of Leg 4, outside of Hong Kong waters.
Race Control at Volvo Ocean Race headquarters was informed of the collision by the team moments after it happened at around 5.23pm Irish time/UTC on Friday 19 January (1.23am local time on Saturday morning).
The Vestas 11th Hour Racing team, none of whom were injured in the collision, issued a Mayday distress call on behalf of the other vessel, alerting the Hong Kong Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC).
HKMRCC informed Race Control that a commercial vessel in the area was able to rescue nine of the crew and that a 10th crew member was taken by helicopter to hospital. HKMRCC has since confirmed the death of the air-lifted crew member.
Volvo Ocean Race and Vestas 11th Hour Racing, which retired from the leg after the incident and proceeded to Hong Kong under its own power, are now focused on providing immediate support to those affected by this incident.
All involved organisations are co-operating with the authorities and are fully supporting the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet has now arrived in Hong Kong hours after Scallywag took the Leg 4 win, with Dongfeng Race Team taking second place at 8.33pm Irish time/UTC last night, followed by Team AkzoNobel in third at 12.21am this morning (Saturday 20 January), MAPFRE fourth at 1.51am, Team Brunel fifth at 4am, and Turn the Tide on Plastic in sixth at 4.54am.
