South Korean Containership Rescues Four Sailors Adrift in a Life Raft
The South Korean shipping company Janggeum Marine, part of the Sinokor Group, shared the details of the rescue of four crewmembers of a tugboat that was lost in Indonesian waters. The reports indicate the crewmembers had been adrift in a life raft for at least six hours after their vessel was lost in a strong storm near the Riau Islands.
The crew was working the tug TB AOM 787, towing a barge, when it was caught in the storm on July 25. The crew barely had time to make it into the life raft and was unable to save their belongings, including their passports, before the vessel capsized and sank.
Conditions were reported to be bad in the area with waves at two meters (6.5 feet) and strong winds. The crew fired off several flares, hoping to attract the attention of passing ships, to no avail. They reported visibility was very poor due to the heavy rains. Two ships had passed nearby but did not stop.
The Indonesian Rescue Coordination Center issued an alert and asked the containership Shanghai Voyager (33,380 dwt) to divert approximately 70 nautical miles north from its course in an effort to find the shipwrecked crew. The Center reported that weather conditions were too bad for the local rescue teams to attempt to reach the crew.
The second officer of the containership operated by Janggeum spotted the drifting life raft and informed the captain of his ship. According to the reports, the captain was struggling with the weather, which he said made it very difficult to get the 200-meter (656-foot) long containership near the drifting raft. After about 45 minutes, however, they were able to reach the four crewmembers, and the crew of the containership performed the rescue based on their safety drills.
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The four crewmembers received medical checks once aboard the containership. At the request of the Indonesian search and rescue authorities, they were later transferred to their vessels and taken to a hospital for further medical examinations.
The Indonesian authorities congratulated the crew of the vessel for their heroism and the safe rescue of the tugboat. They thanked the captain for his swift response and commended his skills in completing the rescue in challenging conditions.
