RNZAF Orion Finds Last Crew Member of Fire-Damaged Chinese Fishing Vessel

A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion has located the last crew member reported overboard from the Jin Xiang 6, a Chinese fishing vessel damaged by fire.

The Orion located the man clinging to a buoy near where the vessel was discovered yesterday, about 400 nautical miles west of Tuvalu.

The same P-3K2 Orion had discovered the vessel while on a routine fisheries patrol.

This morning the Orion was re-tasked by Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji (RCCFJ), in coordination with Research Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), to search for the crew members that had been reported overboard.

The Orion located the Jin Xiang 7, the sister vessel of the damaged Jin Xiang 6, which had rescued 17 of the 18 crew, including three of the four crew who were reported overboard.

After finding the last crew member in the water, the Orion dropped a life raft which the man boarded. The Orion is coordinating with the Jin Xiang 7 to arrange rescue from the water and will stay overhead as long as possible.

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