ANL/CMA CGM to the rescue

FOR THE second time in a little over a month a CMA CGM Group ship has been involved in a sea rescue in the South Pacific.

The New Zealand Defence Force reports that on Saturday [26 September] Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre received an alert from an EPIRB from the 51ft Australian flagged yacht Tai Tam at about 1300 local time.

The yacht was taking on water after hitting a whale, forcing its four crew to abandon ship and take to a life raft.

A NZAF P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft, sent to the scene, established two-way radio communications with the yacht’s crew and vessels in the area that were diverted to assist with the rescue.

Image: New Zealand Defence Force

The sailors spent several hours in the life raft before being rescued at around 0600 on Sunday by the crew of the ANL geared container vessel Sofrana Surville, employed on the WestPac service and enroute from Auckland to Noumea.

RCC operations manager Mike Clulow praised the coordination between the agencies and vessels involved in the rescue.

“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 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,” Mr Clulow said.

Late last month the metaphorical shoe was on the other foot, when the Cook Islands Ports Authority conducted a rescue mission to assist a crewmember aboard PAD service vessel CMA CGM Green outside of Nikao.

The vessel was enroute to Panama from New Zealand when the incident occurred, making Rarotonga the nearest port for emergency medical attention.

The crewmember, reported to have suffered a crushed hand, was taken to Rarotonga Hospital, where he was scheduled for surgery.