S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 mariners on Saturday after their Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel caught fire approximately 500 miles north-northwest of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. m.
PST from a Garmin Search and Rescue Command Center notification, which reported an SOS alert from the 240-foot fishing vessel La Pena. Using a crewmember’s satellite messaging device, Coast Guard watchstanders established communications with the crew and confirmed the vessel had caught fire and sunk. All 27 mariners were evacuated to the vessel’s emergency lifeboat.
The weather on scene was reported as 5-foot seas and 10-knot winds. The crew of the La Pena had no life jackets, food or water aboard the lifeboat, but their only means of communication was the satellite device, which had approximately 37 percent battery life remaining. Rescue Coordination Center Alameda issued SafetyNet and SafetyCAST broadcasts to alert nearby mariners and request assistance.
An Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) system query identified two vessels within 115 miles and 13 vessels within 575 miles of the distress position. Coast Guard watchstanders contacted these vessels, receiving a response from the motor vessel Seaways Kenosha, which offered to assist in the rescue. m.
Pacific Standard Time, Sunday, and safely recovered all 27 people from the lifeboat. There were no reported injuries or medical concerns at the time of recovery, although one previously reported injury was assessed as non-life-threatening. Plans to transfer the survivors to shore are currently being coordinated.
The successful rescue is attributed to the vigilance and professionalism of Coast Guard watchstanders, who quickly pieced together limited information and coordinated with multiple domestic and international partners to direct nearby vessels to the scene.