Crew of Australian Boat Rescued by Boxship After Hitting a Whale

The crew of the Australia-flagged boat Tai Tam (51 feet) has a whale of a tale to tell, for real. According to the New Zealand Defense Force, four sailors spent several hours in a life raft after they were forced to abandon their boat after colliding with a whale.

They were sailing approximately 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island, a small, remote volcanic island in the South Pacific Ocean that is an external territory of Australia.

It was around 1:00 pm Saturday when the four sailors activated their EPIRB as they were abandoning their boat. Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Center received the alert and launched the rescue operation. It dispatched a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A plane to begin the search for the four individuals.

The plane crew was able to establish two-way communication with the four sailors in the raft. At the same time, the Rescue Center alerted vessels in the area, requesting assistance.

The four sailors spent the night in their life raft before being rescued (NZDF)

The containership Sofrana Surville (12,500 dwt) responded to the call and diverted to the area to aid in the rescue. The Malta-flagged vessel operates for ANL Singapore.

“This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue,” said Rescue Coordination Centre Operations Manager Mike Clulow. “The crew of the yacht did all the right things, and it was unfortunate to have struck a whale in open water. They were well prepared and the early activation of their EPIRB was key to helping get them to safety.”

The Sofrana Surville reached the four individuals and was able to bring them aboard around 0600 the following morning. They reported sea up to two meters (6.5 feet).

The ship was taking the survivors to the nearest port for disembark. Its AIS shows a stop today in Noumea, New Caledonia, before proceeding for Brisbane, Australia.