Iridium's GMDSS Service Goes Live
Satellite communications provider Iridium Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service officially went live on Friday, December 11, ending a monopoly held by rival Inmarsat and enhancing the integrity of global safety communications for seafarers globally.GMDSS is an internationally regulated service, governed by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention. It provides life-saving assistance to seafarers in distress and has required equipment on board more than 60…
Containership Responds for Yacht Fire Rescue
Two New Zealand sailors and their Mexican skipper were rescued from a liferaft 280 kilometers south of Niue after their yacht caught fire just after midnight June 23, Maritime New Zealand reported. The 15-meter U.S.-registered yacht SV Sunny Deck was travelling from Rarotonga to Tonga when a fire in the engine compartment engulfed the vessel. The 36-year-old skipper was on watch, and the two other sailors – both from Hamilton, aged 67 and 70 – were asleep at the time. The crew had no time to dress or grab any equipment before abandoning the vessel to a liferaft but the skipper managed to reach the EPIRB - fire had already melted the lanyard attaching it to the vessel.
Car-Carrier Saves South Pacific Lone Yachtsman
A solo Canadian sailor has been rescued from his sinking yacht in rough conditions 1,250 nautical miles (2,300km) north-east of Auckland - about 600nm (1,100km) south of Rarotonga - after a mercy dash by the car-carrier 'Fidelio', reports Maritime NZ. The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) was alerted by the signal from a US-coded EPIRB distress beacon and despatched an RNZAF P3 Orion to the scene. The air found the 11m sloop (single-masted yacht) L’Antillaise, with one man from British Columbia on board…
Fishing Boat Fire in Antarctic Killed Three
Fire on board S. A major rescue effort was launched in the Ross Sea in early January when the 51 metre Korean fishing vessel Jeong Woo 2 caught fire. It was the second major incident in Antarctic waters in as many months and involved several Korean fishing vessels, a United States research vessel and a United States Air Force (USAF) aircraft. Jeong Woo 2’s distress call was picked up by another Korean fishing vessel, Hong Jin 707. The information was relayed via the New…
