The US Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 mariners after their Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel caught fire in the Pacific Ocean approximately 500 miles (800 kilometres) north-northwest of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, on Saturday, January 31.
At approximately 03:30 Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Sunday, February 1, the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Seaways Kenosha arrived on scene and safely recovered all 27 crewmembers of the distressed fishing vessel.
There were no reported injuries or medical concerns at the time of recovery. A previously reported injury was assessed as non-life-threatening.
At 15:51 PST on Saturday, Rescue Coordination Center Alameda received a notification from the Garmin Search and Rescue Command Center of an SOS distress alert from the 240-foot (73-metre) fishing vessel La Pena.
Using a crewmember’s satellite messaging device, US Coast Guard watchstanders established communications with the crew and confirmed the vessel had caught fire and sank. All 27 mariners had meanwhile evacuated to the vessel’s emergency lifeboat.
The crew reported they had no life jackets, food or water aboard the lifeboat. Their only means of communication was the satellite device, which had approximately 37 per cent battery life remaining, or about 12 hours of use.
The survivors were placed on a 90-minute communication schedule to provide position updates, answer questions, and then power off the device to conserve battery.
Rescue Coordination Center Alameda issued broadcasts to alert nearby mariners and request assistance. There were no coast guard surface or air assets in the immediate vicinity.
An automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue (AMVER) system query identified two vessels within 115 miles (185 kilometres) and 13 vessels within 575 miles (925 kilometres) of the distress position. Coast guard watchstanders contacted the vessels and received a response from Seaways Kenosha, an AMVER-participating vessel located approximately 100 miles (160 kilometres) from the survivors, offering to assist.
Coast Guard watchstanders began coordinating Seaways Kenosha’s response to rescue the survivors.
The coast guard’s National Command Center said it is continuing to monitor the situation. Plans to transfer the survivors to shore are currently being coordinated.
The weather on scene was reported as five-foot (1.5-metre) seas and 10-knot winds.