Seven seafarers were rescued from the sea off Lebanon after they jumped from their cargo ship. The ship was leaning badly to one side, and they were afraid it would capsize. Lebanese Civil Defence teams picked them up. This happened on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
The ship is the general cargo ship Seahorse. It was carrying timber from Turkey to Sidon, a port in south Lebanon. Baird Maritime and The Maritime Executive say it is registered in Panama, was built in 1997 and is about 100 metres long. Lebanese TV channel MTV said it sails under the Turkish flag.
What happened
Water got into the ship and it started to list. To list means to lean to one side.
At first, the captain told the authorities that the situation was under control and he did not need help.
The list got worse. Seven crew members jumped into the sea. Civil Defence teams who were with the ship rescued them.
Nine people, including the captain, stayed on board, Civil Defence said.
Rescuers found 3.5 to 4 metres of water in cargo hold number 5. It was almost impossible to walk on deck because of the angle.
Emergency pumps lowered the water in the hold to 50 to 60 centimetres.
The ship was then stable enough to move. On Monday evening, 26 October, it reached the port of Beirut and tied up at a quay. Workers started to unload the timber to make the ship more stable.
Samir Yazbek leads the Civil Defence sea rescue unit. He told the Lebanese news site This is Lebanon that the crew did not notice the water coming in at the right time. He said the people who jumped into the sea are in good health. MTV reported that one injured sailor was taken to hospital. The authorities have not said what failed on board.
The Lebanese Navy and the Beirut fire brigade helped. The work was coordinated with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Beirut. This centre leads search and rescue at sea for Lebanon.
Post on X
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The X post above is from the official account of Lebanese Civil Defence. It has two videos and two photos of the rescue boats with the leaning ship.
What crews can learn
Water in a cargo hold can go unnoticed for hours. Water that moves inside the ship, and cargo that shifts, can make a list worse very fast. These simple steps help:
Check hold bilges and bilge alarms often, at sea and near port. A bilge is the lowest part of a hold, where water collects.
Sound the tanks and bilges on every watch. To sound means to measure the water level.
If the ship starts to list and you do not know why, tell the bridge at once.
Ask for help early. It is easier for rescuers to help before the situation gets worse.
Do not jump into the sea unless the master orders abandon ship or you have no other choice. If you must jump, wear a life jacket, jump feet first and stay together.
Make sure everyone knows the muster list, and do the abandon ship drill seriously.
In Lebanon, the Civil Defence emergency number is 125.
Cover photo: The general cargo ship BREB Timber unloading at the port of Casablanca, Morocco, in May 2023. Illustrative photo, not the Seahorse. Photo: Farid mernissi/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: L'Orient Today: Ship adrift off Beirut coast: vessel reached port, Civil Defense announces (26 Oct 2026), Baird Maritime: Seven crew rescued after jumping from listing cargo ship off Lebanon (27 Oct 2026), The Maritime Executive: Seven panicked crew jump from listing cargo ship off Lebanon (26 Oct 2026), This is Lebanon: interview with Civil Defence sea rescue chief Samir Yazbek on the Seahorse (in Arabic), Lebanese Civil Defence on X (25 Oct 2026, in Arabic).
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