Over the weekend, the Shourong Harmony bulk carrier managed to rescue 5 men who had been stranded at sea in a 14-foot skiff since Wednesday, last week.
The bulk carrier rescued the men after being notified by the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point’s Hercules air crew that they had spotted the skiff at about 184 miles east northeast off Teraina Island, Kiribati.
Upon being rescued the men were evaluated to be in good condition.
The USCG initiated the search operation following last Wednesday’s report that the men had went missing. They had departed from Kiribati to go on a fishing trip back on Monday.
They were in a skiff without any engines, had little provisions and were without any lifesaving equipment.
The Hercules air crew was able to locate the missing seafarers at 4:15 p.m. on Friday following an extensive several-day search without any positive results. Upon locating the men the crew dropped down water, food, two VHF radio devices, a Coast Guard Personal Location Beacon, flares and a signal mirror.
Along with the help of AMVER, Honolulu JRCC watchstanders and the Kiribati Search and Rescue Liaison appointed two ships, the Moamoa and the Shourong Harmony to provide their assistance for rescuing the seamen.
The distance from the men’s location at the time of their saving to Honolulu, Hawaii was approximately 1,087 miles.
AMVER is a Coast Guard –sponsored, computer-based, voluntary vessel reporting system that is employed on a global basis for serving the purposes of search and rescue authorities. Rescue coordinators use AMVER in order to identify participating vessels in the designated area and divert the ship or ships that are best-suited for the task at hand.