Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre
(RCCNZ) has coordinated the rescue of four sailors on an
Australian flagged vessel that was abandoned after hitting a
whale 250 nautical miles North of Norfolk
Island.
“At approximately 1pm Saturday New Zealand
time RCCNZ received an alert from an EPIRB from the 51ft
Australian yacht Tai Tam. It was taking on water and began
sinking after reporting it had struck a whale,” Rescue
Coordination Centre Operations Manager Mike Clulow
said.
“The yacht was experiencing seas of up to 2m,
and a Royal New Zealand Airforce P-8A Poseidon was tasked
with assisting. Several vessels were in the area and
diverted to assist.
“The four sailors on the vessel
had to abandon ship and spent several hours in a life raft
before being rescued around 6am this morning by the crew of
the MV SOFRANA SURVILLE, a 143m cargo vessel who was first
on the scene.
“This was a well-coordinated and
executed rescue, and I’d like to thank our partners at the
New Zealand Defence Force for their assistance, along with
the assistance of JRCC Australia and MRCC Noumea who
provided support. Our thanks also extend to crew of the MV
SOFRANA SURVILLE and a private sailing vessel who effected
the rescue.
“The crew of the yacht did all the right
things, and it was unfortunate to have struck a whale in
open water. They were well prepared and the early activation
of their EPIRB was key to helping get them to safety. It is
an excellent reminder that being prepared when going to sea
can save your life,” Mike Clulow said.
The crew are
now safe onboard the MV SOFRANA SURVILLE and are being taken
to the nearest port to
disembark.
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