Rescue Services News

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has issued its report on the blackout and loss of propulsion on Interislander ferry Kaitaki. A degraded rubber expansion joint in the engine cooling system failed and triggered an automatic shutdown. The part had exceeded its service life. TAIC found six safety issues, including: lifetime management of safety-critical components; engineering decision support; evacuation standards for older ships; emergency response coordination; Maritime NZ’s Maritime Incident Response Team, and salvage and towage capability.

The demand for “thrusters” on recreational and commercial vessels has increased rapidly in recent years, providing vessels with enhanced capabilities.Increasing a vessel’s manoeuvrability, making its steering more precise, to accurately control course and position offers greater versatility. New markets are opening to take advantage of new horizons with commercial opportunities.Thruster operation may be manual by the helmsman or part of a Propulsion Management System (PMS). If integrated with an autopilot, its operation relieves the constant hands-on duty for one crew member.

A Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday after what Moscow described as an attack by Ukrainian drones launched from Libya.The Arctic Metagaz sank in waters between Libya and Malta after catching fire a day earlier, Libya's maritime rescue agency said in an advisory seen by Reuters."Information indicates that the tanker experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking," the agency said.Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in an attempt to de

By the time Robbie Roberge spotted the fire consuming his boat's galley last August, he knew he had just minutes to evacuate his beloved Three Girls fishing vessel, named for his daughters.As the flames spread up the boat's walls, he helped his crew into safety suits, deployed a life raft and made a mayday call to alert nearby mariners and the U.S. Coast Guard that he was abandoning ship more than 100 miles offshore.Roberge, a commercial fisherman from South Portland, Maine, learned…

The 73-meter-long German oil and chemical tanker Annika caught fire on October 11 whilst northeast of Kühlungsborn, Germany, in the Baltic Sea. The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Bremen, operated by the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS), led the response.The sea rescue boat Wilma Sikorski rescued all seven crew members shortly after the fire was reported, and Reuters reports that the fire was extinguished and the vessel is now safely into the port of Rostock.The vessel was carrying around 640 tonnes of oil…

An oil tanker caught fire off the Baltic Sea coast of northern Germany early on Friday, and all seven crew members on board at the time were taken ashore, maritime rescue services said in a statement.Three vessels have been deployed to the burning tanker Annika in the Mecklenburg Bay to extinguish the blaze, with several firefighting teams also en route to the site via helicopters, according to the statement.The Germany-flagged, 73-metre-long tanker is carrying around 640 tonnes of oil, it added.

The IMO's Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) met from June 3 to 14 at IMO headquarters in London, covering a range of issues including maritime pilot safety, improving the security and integrity of AIS, and the dissemination of information over multiple recognized mobile satellite services under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).Pilot transfer arrangements and amendments to SOLAS regulation V/23 agreedTo improve compliance and address inconsistencies and ambiguities in existing regulations…

An unknown number of orcas have sunk a sailing yacht after ramming it in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain's maritime rescue service said on Monday, a new attack in what has become a trend in the past four years.The vessel Alboran Cognac, which measured 15 meters (49 feet) in length and carried two people, encountered the highly social apex predators, also known as killer whales, at 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Sunday, the service said.The passengers reported feeling sudden blows to the hull and rudder before water started seeping into the ship.

A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people remained stuck in a remote Greenland location on Wednesday after running aground earlier this week, the vessel's operator and rescue services said.The Danish military's Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said Tuesday's tide had failed to lift the 104-metre (341-foot) Ocean Explorer enough to free it."The tide that came in during the day, local time, did not provide the desired help to sail on," the JAC said in a statement.The passengers and crew remained safe on board, Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions said."There is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel or the surrounding environment," Sydney-based Aurora said in a statement.The ship ran aground on Monday while touring the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of

In November 2020 I wrote a column in MREN that discussed the right of people to engage in crazy marine ventures. The example I used in that column was an attempt to row from South America to Antarctica. In it I also made note of the inherent unseaworthiness of single-handed ocean racing and noted that such foolishness often resulted in the public spending lots of money providing rescue services.The Ocean Gate Expedition Titan venture has now managed to set an entirely new standard…

A mother and her 7-year-old child have been rescued after falling overboard on Thursday from a ferry traveling from Sweden to Poland, Swedish media reported.The two were being winched to a helicopter and are taken to a hospital, Stefan Land from the Swedish Maritime Administration told TT news agency, without specifying their condition.The ferry, Stena Spirit, was in the Baltic Sea midway through its journey to Gdynia in Poland from Karlskrona in Sweden when the incident occurred.The 7-year-old fell in and the mother jumped in after, the rescue services told TT.A large rescue effort was initiated, with several helicopters and NATO ships in the area helping out, TT reported.(Reuters - Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Editing by Conor Humphries)

The Canadian Coast Guard has revealed big plans to invest in its fleet of small vessels.Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, on Thursday announced $2.5 billion CAD (roughly $1.8 billion USD) for the construction of up to 61 new small vessels and the ongoing replacement of small craft, barges and workboats within the Canadian Coast guard fleet.“This is a critical investment that will help modernize the Canadian Coast Guard’s small vessel fleet,” Murray said.

An ailing worker was medevaced from a Transocean drillship 189 miles south of Port Fourchon, La., on Monday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector New Orleans received a request at 2:21 a.m. from Bristol Search and Rescue Services to medevac a 60 year-old-male who was experiencing stroke like symptoms on board the Deepwater Thalassa.The watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew and a Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew.The MH-60 aircrew arrived on scene…

Swedish and Finnish rescue services began evacuating families and elderly passengers from a fire-stricken Swedish ferry in the Baltic sea late on Monday, but said the situation was calm and that no one had been injured.About 70 out of around 300 people onboard were scheduled to be evacuated by helicopter as the powerless vessel was drifting toward the island of Gotland and risked running aground later on Monday, at roughly 2100 GMT."We are evacuating families with children and the elderly. We have strong winds that make evacuation by boat difficult," a Swedish Maritime Administration spokesperson said.

ACR Electronics and Ocean Signal announced the development of next generation EPIRBs.Introducing integrated AIS (Automatic Identification System) within their EPIRBs for the first time in conjunction with further new technology, ACR and Ocean Signal will launch the advanced beacons this year ahead of the enforcement of new updated IMO (International Maritime Organization) Maritime Safety Committee EPIRB regulations.AIS EPIRBs will offer both recreational and commercial users the extra reassurance that other nearby vessels will be notified in an emergency…

Sea rescue services from the Canadian city of Halifax found and recovered 10 bodies from a Spanish fishing trawler that sank in rough sea off the eastern coast of Canada, the services said late on Tuesday, though 11 of the crew are still missing.“Regrettably, Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Halifax can confirm that an additional three deceased individuals have been recovered from the sunken fishing vessel,” the center said on its Twitter account. Earlier, it announced the recovery of seven bodies.Three surviving sailors from the trawler…

Italian boat builder High Tech Marine (HTM) is constructing a new firefighting and rescue patrol boat for operation in the harbor waters and along the Monaco coastline.Commissioned by the Monaco Government, the vessel will be delivered by September 2022 and enter service immediately, enabling the region’s Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers to provide firefighting and rescue services in the Principality's ports and along a coastal zone which may include the surrounding French territorial…

British and French officials traded blame on Wednesday after 27 migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they made a perilous crossing of the English Channel.The accident was the worst disaster on record involving migrants in the narrow seaway separating the two countries.The Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong. Human traffickers typically overload the dinghies, leaving them barely afloat and at the mercy of waves as they try to reach…

Thirty-seven migrants are feared dead after a dinghy carrying dozens of people capsized off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands, the sole survivor to have been found so far told Spain's maritime rescue services on Thursday.A rescue helicopter carrying the survivor - a 30-year-old woman who appeared exhausted and shaken - and two corpses landed at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria airport, in the Canarian capital, after a cargo ship found them 135 miles away from the coast.The woman told rescue workers that 40 migrants were aboard the dinghy…

I had only been working as a graduate engineer for a few years and was minding my own business working for a yacht designer when my boss asked me to get in touch with a person who was looking for engineering analysis. I called the number and arranged for the person to meet me at the office.A few days later a tall very athletic man walked up the stairs and introduced himself as Ned Gillette. He unfolded a drawing with a design for a rowboat, and said he intended to use it for a row from South America to Antarctica.I was young…

Thirty-one fisherman have been rescued from a fishing vessel that caught fire and began to sink off the coast of Eastern Canada.At 7:05 p.m., Tuesday, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax notified watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard First District Command Center that the 143-foot Atlantic Destiny was disabled with a fire on board, and was taking on water in 26-foot seas and 35-mile-per-hour winds.A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing crew…

New manual provides vital recommendations for operational planning and response in health emergenciesThe International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF), supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, has launched comprehensive guidance for anyone working in search and rescue, on how to ensure that SAR operations can continue safely in the face of challenges posed not only by COVID-19, but also by any future health emergencies.The Pandemic Response Guidance will support SAR providers…

When an offshore wind farm or remote marine operation has an emergency medical situation that requires the extraction of an injured employee, every minute counts. Getting the injured employee from the point of injury to a hospital requires quick action. This process can be more complicated if the injury occurs in a difficult to access area like a wind turbine.Different situations determine how long it takes to extract an injured employeeIf the injured employee is mobile and medics can move them to the helideck on an installation, then extraction is simple.