Orange Juice Tanker Rescues Skipper From Burning Yacht on the High Seas

On Friday, a good Samaritan ship rescued a yachtsman whose vessel caught fire in the Atlantic off Puerto Rico. 

That morning, Sector San Juan received an alert from an unregistered EPIRB at a position about 400 nautical miles to the north. The station's watchstanders issued an alert to nearby shipping and sent an AMVER request for assistance from merchant vessels. The fruit juice tanker Orange Ocean diverted to the scene and arrived shortly after. 

On arrival, Orange Ocean's crew reported that a sailing vessel was on fire and at risk of sinking. They launched their rescue boat and retrieved the yachtsman, who was in good health. 

Courtesy Orange Ocean crew / USCG

The yacht was the 46-foot monohull sailing vessel Poesterd, flagged in Poland. The skipper has been identified as Kirill Vladimirovich Mikhaylov, 53, a resident of St. Kitts and Nevis. 

"The meticulous coordination and communication between Coast Guard Sector San Juan watchstanders and the AMVER vessel Orange Ocean crew played a crucial role in saving the life of this fortunate boater," said Adam Johns, a Sector San Juan SAR coordinator. "This case shows the deep gratitude we have for our AMVER merchant vessels at sea, as well as the importance of having the proper emergency equipment."

Orange Ocean is a 24,000 dwt refrigerated fruit juice tanker, and is operated by a Swiss shipmanagement company specializing in this niche trade.