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Tuesday, November 19, 2024
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Rescue News

19 Sep 2024

Ship Sinks off Greenland, All Crew Members Rescued

© jambulart / Adobe Stock

A 30-metre long ship struck a reef and sank off the coast of Greenland on Thursday, while its four crew members were evacuated to safety, local police said.The ship had some 15,000-20,000 liters of diesel in its tanks and a further 1,000 liters of engine oil, and protective barriers were placed in the water in a bid to contain any spills, they added.(Reuters - Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik)

13 Sep 2024

Crew Rescued from OSV That Caught Fire Off South Africa

AM Pride (Photo courtesy SAMSA)

Fifteen crew members have been rescued from an offshore supply vessel (OSV) that went up in flames off the coast of South Africa.The fire reportedly broke out and grew out of control in the messroom aboard the Marshall Islands registered vessel AM Pride on Thursday, in an ocean area approximately 48.5 nautical miles south of Mossel Bay in South Africa's Western Cape province, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said.The Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC)…

26 Aug 2024

Orcas Attack! Vessel Towed to Shore After Rammed Off Spanish Coast

© Fernando / Adobe Stock

Orcas rammed a sailboat off the coast of northwestern Spain and damaged the vessel's rudder, prompting the maritime rescue service to tow the boat ashore, the service said on Monday.The incident was the latest in a series of boat rammings by orca pods off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. Scientists have yet to reach a consensus on the reasons for this recent behaviour.One of the sailboat's two crew members seriously injured her hand during the towing manoeuvre amid rough sea conditions and was evacuated by helicopter to hospital…

23 Aug 2024

Bayesian Yacht Disaster: How Specialist Search and Rescue Teams Work Underwater

(Photo: Vigili del Fuoco)

Search and rescue for missing persons is always challenging for the specialist recovery teams involved, regardless of the environment they’re working in.But the teams looking for the missing aboard the Bayesian yacht which sank off the coast of Sicily leaving several people dead, have faced particularly challenging conditions. Even though the boat lies in relatively shallow water of 50 meters, underwater operations are affected by numerous factors which make them the most complex of search and rescue efforts.Best practice shows that searches should be coordinated…

22 Aug 2024

Tug Crew Tows Fire-stricken and Abandoned Trawler to Portland, Maine

(Photo: Portland Tugboat)

A tugboat crew was recently called upon to tow in a fire-stricken trawler that had been abandoned in the Gulf of Maine.The 81-foot fishing vessel Three Girls had been adrift since August 11 when an onboard fire forced its crew to evacuate about 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, N.H. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued the six people that had been on board—including a captain, a NOAA observer and four crew members—but the trawler itself was left ablaze and adrift out at sea.The team at McAllister Towing's Portland Tugboat was called in to tow the burning vessel back to shore.Capt.

13 Aug 2024

Charity Group Rescues 54 Migrants in Central Mediterranean

© rfanan / Adobe Stock

Volunteer lifeguards from Spanish charity Open Arms assisted 54 migrants stranded on a rubber dinghy in the Mediterranean Sea off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Tuesday, according to a Reuters witness.The group said it gave the passengers, who were mainly Syrian nationals, life jackets and water after alerting the Italian Coast Guard, which later took them to Lampedusa.The central Mediterranean is one of the most dangerous routes for refugees seeking asylum in Europe. Last year…

12 Aug 2024

Six Rescued After Fire Engulfs Fishing Vessel Off US East Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued six people after a boat fire on the fishing vessel Three Girls led to them abandoning ship 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Aug. 11, 2024. The following morning, the six people rescued were safely transferred to a pier in South Portland, Maine. (Photo: Diolanda Caballero / U.S. Coast Guard)

Six people were rescued after abandoning their fire-stricken fishing vessel off the U.S. East Coast, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At 8:56 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center watchstanders received a mayday call from the 81-foot trawler Three Girls stating that the vessel was ablaze and the captain, NOAA observer and four crew members on board were preparing to abandon ship about 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, N.H. The First Coast Guard District command center also received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon from the vessel.At 9 p.m.…

02 Aug 2024

Washington State Ferries Crew Rescues Boaters in Distress

Jumbo-class ferry Walla Walla (Photo: Washington State Ferries)

Crewmembers aboard a Washington State Ferries vessel helped to rescue three boaters and a dog after their small vessel capsized near Bremerton, Wash.The crew aboard Jumbo-class ferry Walla Walla rescued a person and a dog near the Bremerton terminal Tuesday evening, according to WSF.The ferry crew treated the victim for hypothermia and chest pains before transferring care to emergency medical technicians on shore, the operator said.Two additional victims were saved by the U.S.

19 Jul 2024

Oil Tankers on Fire After Colliding Close to Singapore, Crew Rescued

(Photo: Republic of Singapore Navy)

Two large oil tankers were on fire on Friday after colliding near Singapore, the world's biggest refuelling port, with two crew members airlifted to hospital and others rescued from life rafts, authorities and one of the tanker operators said.Singapore is Asia's biggest oil-trading hub and the world's largest bunkering port. Its surrounding waters are vital trade waterways between Asia and Europe and the Middle East and among the busiest global sea lanes.The Singapore-flagged…

29 Apr 2024

Fisherman Adrift in Java Sea Rescued by Wallem Crew

The Wallem-managed ship Angleviken rescued a fisherman off Indonesia on April 20th. Image courtesy Wallem

A ship under the management of Wallem Group rescued a man who had been adrift in the Java Sea for two days last week after he had jumped from a fishing vessel, reportedly in preference to continuing to work without pay.The man was picked up by Angleviken as the LR2 tanker approached anchorage at Balongan, Indonesia on 20th April, after Capt. Bhanu Kundi sighted a floating object approx. 20 degrees port, at approx. 2.5 nm ahead of the vessel and distance from nearest land approx. 12 nm from the ship at 12.30 local time.

28 Nov 2023

Australian Tugboat Responders Honored by IMO for Bravery

Pictured from left, Marius Fenger, Brad Lucas Australian Maritime Safety Authority CEO Mick Kinley, Alex Alsop. (Image courtesy of AMSA)

The three crew members of the SL Diamantina, who saved 21 lives and averted an environmental disaster in July 2022, have received an Exceptional Bravery at Sea commendation from the IMO.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) nominated Brad Lucas (Master), Alex Alsop (Deckhand), and Marius Fenger (Engineer), for their extraordinary efforts in saving the lives of the crew on board the MV Portland Bay and preventing an environmental disaster on the shores of the world’s second oldest national park…

11 Jul 2023

NYK Wood-Chip Carrier Rescues Woman Near the Philippines

Source: NYK

Southern Ace, a wood-chip carrier operated by NYK, spotted a woman in distress on the sea surface near the Philippines at around 17:45 (local time) on July 5 while sailing from Albany, Australia, to Niigata, Japan.After notifying the Philippine Coast Guard, the vessel rescued the person and handed her over to the coast guard at 21:00 on the same day.Captain Rex D. Lumosbog led the rescue by Southern Ace.

02 Jun 2023

German Rescue Ship Blocked in Italy Over breach of migration law

A German charity said on Friday its rescue ship was impounded by Italian authorities for breaching tougher migration rules introduced by the country's right-wing government as part of a crackdown on NGO sea-rescue activities.The Mare*Go organization said it disobeyed instructions to take 36 migrants it picked up on Thursday to the Sicilian port of Trapani, taking them instead to Lampedusa island, saving itself hours of navigation."The rescue ship is blocked for 20 days" in Lampedusa, the NGO in a statement, adding it would also "likely face a fine because we broke the new Italian Decree Law" sponsored by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.Noting that Trapani was 32 hours away from the location where the migrants were picked up…

01 May 2023

US Coast Guard Medevacs Five Passengers Off Cruise Ships Within 24 Hours

A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter medevacs a patient from a cruise ship, approximately 300 miles offshore from Fort Morgan, Alabama, April 29, 2023. (Source:  U.S. Coast Guard video by Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans)

US Coast Guard helicopter aircrews medically evacuated four separate passengers off three different cruise ships, off the southern California coast, during a 24-hour period beginning Friday night.A 47-year-old woman, reportedly suffering from a progressive acute illness, was hoisted off the cruise ship Carnival Panorama, which was 100 miles south of San Diego. The cruise ship and an MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego rendezvoused 100 miles south of San Diego.

06 Apr 2023

OSG Crew Rescues 12 people in Gulf of Mexico

Source: OSG

Florida’s Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) has applauded the efforts of the crew of its vessel the Overseas Long Beach in rescuing 12 people on a vessel in distress.The Overseas Long Beach was on a voyage from Corpus Christi to Jacksonville when it found the boat. The people appeared to be out of food, water, and fuel and in need of medical assistance. In coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New Orleans, the Master and crew of the Overseas Long Beach established communication with the distressed vessel…

03 Jan 2023

Coast Guard Calls Off Search for Four Missing from Helicopter that Crashed Near Gulf of Mexico Platform

Debris from helicopter crash on an oil rig 10 miles off Southwest Pass, Louisiana, Dec. 29, 2022. Coast Guard District Eight watchstanders received a call from Rotorcraft Leasing Company personnel stating a company helicopter with four people aboard went down in the Gulf of Mexico while in the process of departing an oil platform. (U.S. Cost Guard photo)

The Coast Guard called off its search for four passengers onboard a downed helicopter about 10 miles off the coast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, at 6:15 p.m. Thursday.At around 8:40 a.m., Coast Guard District Eight watchstanders got a call from Rotorcraft Leasing Company personnel indicating that a company helicopter with four people aboard had gone down in the Gulf of Mexico while departing an oil platform.Sector New Orleans watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard…

21 Dec 2022

Many Dead Among at Least 100 Rohingya Stranded on Boat off India's coast, Activists Report

For Illustration - Credit: Amnesty International

At least 100 ethnic Rohingya are stranded in a boat off India's Andaman Islands and as many as 16-20 may have have died of thirst, hunger or drowned, said two Myanmar Rohingya activist groups. Each year many Rohingya, members of a Muslim minority, risk their lives boarding rickety vessels to escape violence in Myanmar and squalor in Bangladesh refugee camps. Many attempt to reach Malaysia. The stranded boat was approached by five Indian ships late on Tuesday, a source told Reuters.

09 Dec 2022

Vietnam Offshore Vessel Saves 154 Rohingya from Sinking Boat, Transfers Them to Myanmar Navy

A Vietnamese oil service vessel rescued 154 people from a sinking boat in the Andaman Sea and has transferred them to Myanmar's navy, state media reported, a group that was confirmed by activists as minority Rohingya Muslims. The vessel, Hai Duong 29, was en route from Singapore to Myanmar when it spotted the boat in distress 285 miles (458.7 km) south of the Myanmar coast on Wednesday, VTCNews said in a report aired late on Thursday.The Rohingya are a minority that has for years been persecuted in Myanmar and many risk their lives attempting to reach predominantly Muslim Malaysia and Indonesia on rickety boats. Their exodus from Myanmar and from the squalor of refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh…

04 Jul 2022

More Than Two Dozen Missing after Ship Snaps in Two, Sinks Off Hong Kong

Hong Kong Government Flying Service - Screenshot

More than two dozen crew on an engineering [reportedly an offshore wind] vessel [Fujing 001] with 30 people on board were missing after it snapped in two in waters off Hong Kong as tropical storm Chaba passed through, authorities said.Three crew members were rescued, and search and rescue operations were continuing for others about 300 km (200 miles) southwest of the city, the Hong Kong Government Flying Service said.

07 Nov 2022

Tech File: VIKING Norsafe E-Mako-655, the All-electric Rescue Boat

Image credit: Sønnavind drone and boligfoto

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment and maritime electric motor systems developer Evoy launched an electrically powered 6.55m rescue boat, the VIKING Norsafe E-Mako-655. The Mako-655 is an existing rescue boat design that, up until now, has only been offered with traditional engine propulsion due to the current IMO/SOLAS regulation which states that rescue boats of this type must have at least one internal combustion engine.VIKING Norsafe and Evoy are challenging what they call a "somewhat…

01 Nov 2022

Nine Migrants Rescued, Dozens Missing after Boat Sinks off Greek island

Greece rescued nine migrants and was searching for dozens of others believed to be missing after their boat sank off the island of Evia early on Tuesday, the coast guard said. Nine people have been rescued from the boat, which sank off the southern tip of Evia, Greek coast guard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas told state broadcaster ERT. According to the migrants accounts, about 68 people were on the boat, Kokkalas said. A coast guard vessel, a helicopter and two boats sailing nearby are taking part in the rescue operation under gale-force winds, the coast guard said in a statement.

04 Nov 2022

Dutch Coast Guard Gets Two Bristow Helicopters for SAR Operations

©Dutch Coast Guard

Helicopter services firm Bristow Group said Friday it was embarking on a new 10-year relationship with the Dutch Coastguard, delivering helicopter SAR operations for people and communities across the country through its affiliate, Bristow Netherlands B.V."At 1 p.m. Central European Time on November 4, 2022, two new custom-designed SAR bases officially went on-line at Den Helder and Midden Zeeland Airports, where specialist Bristow teams with SAR-configured helicopters now stand ready to respond to emergency events and critical government taskings in all weather…

05 Jul 2022

Twelve Bodies Recovered From Waters Off Hong Kong After Typhoon Chaba Sinks Ship

Image supplied by Hong Kong Government Flying Service

Chinese search and rescue officials pulled 12 bodies on Monday from waters southwest of Hong Kong after an engineering vessel snapped in two as tropical storm Chaba passed through, state television said.Maritime authorities of the southern province of Guangdong were stepping up efforts to identify the bodies, suspected to have drowned, after they were retrieved about 50 nautical miles from where the stricken ship sank, it added.Four of its crew were rescued by Monday, although…