Aircraft and ships are searching the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for the remains of the Air France passenger plane which crashed on Monday. Dutch freighters which happened to be nearby have joined the search, as required by maritime law.

The chemical tanker Jo Cedar, belonging to Rotterdam shipping company Jo Tankers, and the freighter Ual Texas, owned by shipping firm Flinter, are both actively helping to look for the remains of the Airbus A330. "Unfortunately we have not found anything so far," says Gerrit Glazema of the Flinter shipping company. "We had some hope this morning when the captain reported seeing a light. However, it turned out to be a fishing boat."

The only objects recovered by the Brazilian navy so far are traces of kerosene, an airplane seat and a life buoy. Debris from the lost aircraft is floating more than 700 kilometres to the north of the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. The search has been compared to looking for a needle in a haystack - the precise site of the crash has not been determined. The aircraft, which had 228 people on board, disappeared suddenly from the radar screens.

Good seamanship
The aviation authorities say it is essential that all ships and aircraft in the area help in the search. Although there is no hope of finding survivors, the authorities will not be able to determine the cause of the disaster if they do not find the aircraft's black box. The ocean is too deep for an arbitrary search, so they will need all the help they can get.

Mr Glazema says that intensive cooperation is an essential part of good seamanship. If anyone at sea is in trouble, you are required to help. "It is not only a requirement, we are glad to help."

The crew has also taken part in drills for all possible kinds of disaster at sea. For instance, they know what to do in case of shipwreck. "And, if necessary, we can obtain medical advice via the radio 24 hours a day."

Night shifts
The crew of the Dutch freighter received the request for assistance from the Brazilian navy on Monday evening. The Ual Texas was then on its way from Africa to Houston in the US state of Texas. "The ship has two days’ extra fuel, so there was plenty of time," says Glazema. The navy gave them a rendezvous point from which they could begin their search. "You can imagine it as a sort of 50-kilometre wedge which has to be thoroughly searched. We also look at night with the aid of two strong spotlights."

However, no matter how enthusiastic the crew is, the Ual Texas will have to stop the search sooner or later. Glazema: "We can’t search if we are out of fuel. The ship has to have enough to reach Trinidad, where it can refuel."

Listen to a Newsline interview with Flinter General Manager Jari van Niejenhuis:

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