The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has coordinated the rescue of a small workboat with four people on board that went missing in the Solomon Sea near Papua New Guinea.
AMSA’s Response Centre received a request for assistance from Port Moresby’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre about 7.30 pm (AEST) on 10 September after the 14-meter vessel broke down and was adrift north-east of Woodlark Island in the Solomon Sea.
AMSA’s response efforts were assisted with an Australian Defense Force (ADF) P-8 aircraft that located the vessel, which was still adrift, around midday on 13 September.
The ADF aircraft remained overhead until a bulk carrier merchant vessel Uni Sunshine arrived and took the disabled vessel in tow.
Photo credit: AMSA, photo taken by aircrew on the Poseidon aircraft. The 14-metre workboat Ogoi Ratz has been made ready for towing by the civilian ship MV Uni Sunshine following the discovery of the missing workboat. The Ogoi Ratz was found by an RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft during a dedicated search and rescue mission for the boat.
