Satellite Distress Signal News

The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating assistance for the crew of a merchant vessel reportedly battling an on-board fire 1,200 miles east of Cape Cod, Mass., on April 10. The 577-foot Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel Sea Venus, with a crew of 23, was en route from Rhode Island to Belgium when the fire reportedly started. Coast Guard watch standers at Rescue Coordination Center Norfolk, located in Portsmouth, Va., detected a satellite distress signal from Sea Venus' electronic position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) around 7:30 a.m. this morning and are coordinating assistance using an aircraft and vessel from the Canadian Navy, and two merchant vessels, the Challenge Plus and Olympian Highway.