Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

RNZAF Poseidon Crew Find Fijian Fishers Missing For Nine Days

A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon crew has found three Fijian fishers nine days after they were reported missing aboard their 8.5-metre wooden fishing boat.

The fishers, aboard the Lewa, left Lautoka planning to go fishing at Nanuya Island in the Yasawa group for up to two weeks.

The last known contact was on 2 October, when they reported engine issues.

They were carrying life jackets and flares but had no locator beacons or communications equipment other than a mobile phone, which was believed to have run out of battery.

Another fishing boat searched for the Lewa over several days but this search, in poor weather conditions, was unsuccessful.

The Poseidon crew launched its search after the Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji requested assistance.

Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre manager of operations, Michael Clulow, said his team provided location data that gave the Poseidon crew the highest probability of finding the missing crew.

“Our team conducted detailed analysis that included data from nine days of oceanic currents and weather to identify a search area using computer modelling,” he said.

“The search area was large due to the amount of time the fishing boat had been drifting, but we were able to provide the P-8A crew an area to search, which is where the vessel was found.”

The Poseidon crew began the radar and visual search on Wednesday morning and found the fishing boat in the afternoon. They contacted nearby vessels for assistance in rescuing the fishermen from the Lewa, and remained in the vicinity until a rescue vessel was close enough for them to be rescued.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Andy Scott, said it was a challenging search over a large area given the nine days since the fishermen were last in contact.

“However the excellent search data provided by Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre and the manner in which the fishermen had prepared themselves to survive at sea led to this successful outcome.

“The P-8 is proving itself a highly effective and responsive asset to support the people of New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours, and was no doubt an incredibly welcome sight for the people on board the fishing vessel,” he said.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

Gordon Campbell: On How Climate Change Threatens Cricket‘s Future

Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else and complaining that he's inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” - which is how most of us would describe his own coalition agreements, 100-Day Plan, and backdated $3 billion handout to landlords... More


 
 
Public Housing Futures: Christmas Comes Early For Landlords

New CTU analysis of the National & ACT coalition agreement has shown the cost of returning interest deductibility to landlords is an extra $900M on top of National’s original proposal. This is because it is going to be implemented earlier and faster, including retrospective rebates from April 2023. More


Green Party: Petition To Save Oil & Gas Ban

“The new Government’s plan to expand oil and gas exploration is as dangerous as it is unscientific. Whatever you think about the new government, there is simply no mandate to trash the climate. We need to come together to stop them,” says James Shaw. More

PSA: MFAT Must Reverse Decision To Remove Te Reo

MFAT's decision to remove te reo from correspondence before new Ministers are sworn in risks undermining the important progress the public sector has made in honouring te Tiriti. "We are very disappointed in what is a backward decision - it simply seems to be a Ministry bowing to the racist rhetoric we heard on the election campaign trail," says Marcia Puru. More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.