Bulk Carrier Rescues Five off Kiribati

The bulk carrier Shourong Harmony rescued five men over the weekend. The men were stranded at sea in a 14-foot skiff since last Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the bulk carrier was able to rescue the men after the HC-130 Hercules air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, spotted the 14-foot aluminum skiff 184 miles east northeast of Teraina Island, Kiribati.

The men were reported to be in good condition once they were rescued.

The Coast Guard mounted the search after the men were reported missing last Wednesday. They had departing Kiribati on a fishing trip on Monday.

The men were in a skiff with no engines, little provisions and no lifesaving equipment.

After searching for several days with negative results, the Hercules air crew located the men at 4:15 p.m., Friday, and dropped food, water, two VHF radios, a Coast Guard issued Personal Location Beacon, a signal mirror and flares to the skiff.

In conjunction with AMVER, watchstanders at the JRCC in Honolulu and the Kiribati Search and Rescue Liaison coordinated two vessels, the Shourong Harmony and the Moamoa to assist with the rescue of the men.

The distance from Honolulu, Hawaii, to where the men were rescued was about 1,087 miles.

AMVER, sponsored by the Coast Guard, is a computer-based, voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities. With AMVER, rescue coordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond.