U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 crewmembers from an Ecuadorian fishing vessel that was on fire Aug. 20 in waters more than 500 miles southwest of the Galapagos Islands.
Coast Guard Southwest District watchstanders at about 8 p.m. Thursday received multiple distress alerts from the vessel Drennec, including an emergency beacon alert and Iridium alert from a Garmin inReach device.
Contact was established with Garmin Response, which confirmed the Drennec caught fire and all 27 crewmembers abandoned ship into a life raft.
Watchstanders used the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System to reach out to nearby vessels, alerting them to the situation and requesting assistance.
Two good Samaritan vessels, container ship Oluf Maersk and fishing vessel Ricky A, diverted to assist.
Ricky A recovered all 27 mariners from the lifeboat, while Oluf Maersk remained on scene to assist.
The entire Drennec crew was reported safely aboard Ricky A by 10:15 a.m. Aug. 21. They will be transported by Ricky A to Guayaquil, Ecuador.
“Rescuing 27 crew members within 11 hours of the distress alert in a remote area of the Pacific Ocean is an incredible achievement that highlights how the Global Search and Rescue System is designed to work,” said Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Doug Samp in a Coast Guard release. “This rapid response was made possible by the crew’s proper emergency devices and the seamless coordination between the Coast Guard, Maritime Rescue Coordination Center Ecuador and the good Samaritans who responded.”
