The Albatros cruise ship saved six men from a sinking fishing boat in southern Tongan waters this afternoon. The cruise ship bound for Auckland diverted 300km to find the fishermen who had not had water for three days and their boat, Losemani Fo'ou, was taking on water.


The Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand organised for the German cruise ship Albatros to change course at 5:00am this morning, after the fishing vessel crew set off an emergency rescue beacon 400 kilometres west south west of Tonga. 

Maritime New Zealand stated that the ship diverted 300 kilometres to help the distressed 11.5 metre fishing vessel, which was taking on water in swells up to 3 metres.

RCCNZ also requested an RNZAF P3 Orion to fly from Whenuapai to the position that the beacon was transmitting from. The Airforce crew dropped emergency equipment and a radio to the boat crew, who were then able to communicate that they could not start their motor due to a flat battery, said Senior Search and Rescue Officer Ramon Davis.


But when the Albatros rendezvoused with the fishing vessel about 2.30pm, crew jumped into the water to swim to the ship. Their fishing boat had been taking on water and was unlikely to remain afloat for more than 24 hours. The fishermen had also run out of drinking water, Mr Davis said.


“They had been in a truly life-threatening situation.”


The Albatros crew helped transfer the men aboard the larger vessel, which is now bound for Auckland. It's understood they will stay on the cruiseship for two days until it berths in Auckland at 9:00pm on Monday February 6.

The cruise ship visited Nuku'alofa on Friday and was on its way to New Zealand. A day in the Bay of Islands has been lost for the cruise passengers due to diverting to the rescue.
 

Mr Davis said that while the fishing boat was not carrying adequate radio equipment, its EPIRB rescue beacon enabled the crew to call for help. 


“We do however recommend all vessels carry at least two methods of signaling distress appropriate to their area of operation. The EPIRB alert pinpointed the vessel’s location and we were able to have the RNZAF Orion fly there and discover what difficulty the crew were in.
 “We would like to thank the Orion crew and all onboard the Albatros for coming to the rescue of these fishermen so promptly.”


Maritime New Zealand said that to learn more about rescue beacons, or to register one, go to: http://beacons.org.nz/ [2]

The names of the fishing boat and its crew are not known at this stage, but it is understood that they are Tongans.

"RCCNZ has recently passed the name to the Tongan police to ensure families learn the crew members are safe. ...The ship's doctor gave each of the six men a medical check and they are fortunately all well after their ordeal," Maritime New Zealand said this evening.

Tonga Police this evening confirmed the name of the boat is "Losemani Fo'ou".

Are you on the cruise ship - do you have photos of this rescue? Please send images to Matangi Tonga: matangi [at] matangitonga [dot] to. Thanks Ed.