Watch: Shell's Arctic Drillers Rescue Mariner and Cat

Published Oct 21, 2015 7:16 PM by The Maritime Executive

A mariner in distress on board a 30-foot sailboat was rescued by the crew of the Tor Viking II, an ice-breaking AHTS chartered to Shell off Alaska.

The yacht was approximately 400 miles south of Cold Bay, Alaska, and the rescue was achieved after the U.S. Coast Guard received an alert from the mariner’s emergency position indicating radio beacon.

Watchstanders launched an Air Station Kodiak C-130 Hercules airplane and a Coast Guard Cutter to assist. Alaska Rescue Coordination Center also launched two MH-60 helicopters and a refueling aircraft for long-range missions.

The C-130 arrived on scene and made contact with the distressed mariner who reported that he had no rudder or rigging and was taking on water in the heavy seas.

A nearby Shell drilling rig, Polar Pioneer, dispatched the vessel Tor Viking II to assist the mariner after being contacted by the C-130 crew.

Tor Viking II is owned by Viking Supply Ships and was part of Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet in the Chukchi Sea.

“The assistance of the good Samaritans on this long-range distress call was vital for the success of the rescue,” said Bud Holden, a Coast Guard 17th District watchstander. “The crew of Tor Viking battled 20-foot seas and gale force winds to help a fellow mariner.”

In 2010, the Tor Viking II crew rescued a disabled bulk carrier, Golden Seas, from the Bearing Sea in seas up to 20 feet.