US Coast Guard rescues crew of disabled fishing vessel near Micronesia's Satawal Atoll

The crew of the US Coast Guard fast response cutter (FRC) USCGC Oliver Henry have successfully rescued six fishermen and towed their disabled fishing vessel to Satawal Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), marking the end of a coordinated search and rescue (SAR) operation that began on Saturday, August 17.

On the said date, the Joint Rescue Sub-Center (JRSC) Guam watch received a distress alert from a 406MHz personal locator beacon (PLB) registered in the United States. The beacon, lent out by a Yap-based owner to outer island fishermen, was activated, signaling potential distress about 27 nautical miles north northeast of Satawal.

Upon receiving the alert, the JRSC Guam team launched a coordinated rescue effort involving Oliver Henry and the Panamanian-flagged Zhong Yu Marine, a 97-metre cargo vessel approximately 138 nautical miles north of the PLB location participating in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) program. They also coordinated with the US Department of Defense to secure aviation support.

Oliver Henry diverted from its patrol 238 nautical miles north-northeast of the PLB for a 10-hour transit at the best possible speed. Despite challenging weather conditions, including low visibility and thunderstorms in the area, the FRC and the cargo vessel arrived at the search area by 03:00 local time on August 18.

At 08:20, the Oliver Henry crew located the disabled vessel, a 22-foot (6.7-metre) FRP boat with a white hull and blue interior, with six fishers in good condition aboard about 11 nautical miles off Satawal. The vessel, which had been adrift after experiencing engine failure, was towed to Satawal Atoll by the FRC, arriving roughly two hours later. The sea state, reported to be less than a foot (0.3 metre) with winds out of the east at four knots, was particularly favorable for the tow.