Four sailors rescued after boat hits whale

Four sailors were rescued in the South Pacific after their Australia-flagged boat Tai Tam hit a whale. They had to abandon the 51-foot boat and spend several hours in a life raft before a containership reached them. The accident happened about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island. Maritime Executive reports.

At around 1:00 pm on Saturday, the crew activated their emergency beacon (EPIRB) as they left the boat and entered the raft. Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre received the signal and sent a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A aircraft to search for them. The aircraft found the raft and established contact with the sailors. Rescue officials also asked nearby ships to help.

The Malta-flagged containership Sofrana Surville answered the call and changed course to reach the raft. The 12,500-dwt ship, operated by ANL Singapore, arrived at about 6:00 am the next morning and took all four sailors on board. At the time, the sea was up to two metres high.

Rescue Coordination Centre Operations Manager Mike Clulow said the crew had taken the right steps after the accident. He also said that the early activation of the EPIRB was key to helping get them to safety.

The Sofrana Surville is taking the rescued crew to the nearest port. The ship is due to stop in Noumea, New Caledonia, before continuing to Brisbane, Australia.

 

Picture: New Zealand Defence Force