Busy day on the water for Coastguard

At 1406 hours today the vessel ‘Outsider’ issued a distress call on VHF Channel 16. The vessel reported a fire onboard and stated their position as 6NM south of Anchorite Rock with 2POB.

Coastguard's Communications & SAR Response Centre tasked two Coastguard Rescue Vessels, Trillian Rescue Alpha and Hibiscus Rescue One, to the incident. At 1416 hours the distressed vessel reported that the fire, which was believed to be electrical based, was contained and that two members of the public were assisting to turn the distressed vessel into wind. At 1426 hours Trillian Rescue Alpha arrived on scene and advised the fumes inside the distressed vessel’s cockpit were too strong for Coastguard volunteers to board the vessel and requested fire crew, who were dispatched onboard Police Launch Deodar.

Both people on board the distressed vessel were transferred to a Coastguard Rescue vessel with one treated for smoke inhalation. A larger Coastguard resource, ASB Rescue, arrived on-scene to take the vessel under tow towards Westpark Marina. At 1610 hours fire crew confirmed the vessel had been cleared and fully extinguished the fire making it safe to re-enter the city under tow.
“The skipper’s actions were exemplary and a fantastic example of how the use of marine communications can save lives at sea,” says Mark Leevers, Duty Officer for Coastguard Northern Region. With the weather starting to clear we are seeing the traffic on the water starting to increase, he says.

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