Overview:
The GIS Patriot cargo ship capsized near Tortuga Island while carrying goods and passengers from Cap-Haïtien to Miragoâne. Sixteen people were rescued, but the ship sank into the ocean, resulting in all property being lost. The accident underscores the increasing dependence on risky maritime travel due to gang-controlled highways.
PORT-DE-PAIX — A cargo ship, the GIS Patriot, capsized Friday, Aug. 22, off the Tortuga Canal between Haiti’s Ile de La Tortue or Tortuga Island and Port-de-Paix, the main port city of the Northwest Department. The ship, registered in Port-au-Prince, was transporting goods, including tons of rice and 16 people traveling from Cap-Haïtien to the Miragoâne seaport in Nippes.
“All passengers are alive — there are 10 crew members and six passengers. All the goods are lost, I cannot evaluate how much money,” Léonel Deshommes, the departmental director of Haiti’s Maritime and Navigation Service (SEMANAH), told The Haitian Times.
With government agencies absent, residents of Tortuga Island rushed to the scene in small boats and wooden canoes to rescue survivors.
“In the absence of coordinated rescue efforts, residents intervened urgently to help save lives, but everything else was lost,” said ship captain Enelran Petit-Homme.
The shipwreck underscores the growing reliance on risky sea travel in Haiti. The 185-mile trip from Cap-Haïtien (north) to Miragoâne (southwest) could once be made in about four hours by road. But with gangs controlling key highways through Port-au-Prince, traders and travelers increasingly turn to maritime routes despite weak safety enforcement.
SEMANAH acknowledged the loss of property but praised the absence of fatalities. In a statement, the agency pledged to step up patrols and safety measures. “The Coast Guard, Civil Protection and SEMANAH are committed to redoubling efforts to strengthen surveillance, maritime security and interventions in Haitian waters,” the agency said.
Still, critics argue SEMANAH has long failed to enforce regulations. Haiti’s poorly monitored waters are notorious for unsafe, overloaded vessels that sometimes attempt clandestine trips to other Caribbean islands or Florida.
An overloaded ship sank off Cocoye Beach in Petit-Goâve during its journey from Port-au-Prince to Miragoâne, leaving many families on Haiti’s southwestern coast mourning amid an unsuccessful search for missing loved ones.
Local officials also stepped in after the incident. Max William Etienne, mayor of Tortuga Island, led the rescue efforts and confirmed for The Haitian Times that all 16 people were saved. At the same time, the National Ambulance Center (CAN) said nine of them were taken to the Immaculate Conception Hospital in Port-de-Paix for treatment.
“No life was lost, but some passengers suffered trauma and health complications,” said CAN director Mildly Charléus, who called for more resources, including boats and helicopters, to respond to maritime emergencies.
The ship’s captain, Petit-Homme, criticized the lack of government response more than 24 hours after the sinking.
“Everyone was rescued safely and alive, there were 10 crew members and six passengers. But, all the goods are lost; I cannot say exactly how much money was lost in the shipwreck.”
Léonel Deshommes, Northwest Departmental Director of SEMANAH
“We answered all their questions and provided information, but they still haven’t given us any assistance,” he told The Haitian Times.
He added that the ship was not overloaded and had shown no signs of distress before suddenly capsizing.
The GIS Patriot’s accident reflects not only Haiti’s fragile maritime safety but also the broader insecurity on land that forces traders and travelers to risk the sea. “State authorities must resolve the problem of insecurity on the roads to allow people to travel,” said Charléus.