Seven people including a woman were rescued in the midst of rough seas and huge swells off the coast of Madang by the Ramu NiCo work ferry MV Carrie which was returning to Madang from Basamuk.
According to the captain of MV Carrie, Charles Buai, they were on the way back to Madang from Basamuk port when they sighted a local boat from Rai Coast signaling desperately for assistance about 1.5 nautical miles off Madang.
“The seas and swells were about three to four meters high,” Buai said. “I altered the vessel towards them and they said they ran out of fuel,
“Because the weather was so bad the crew did their best to get the passengers onto the vessel and tied the banana boat with rope and we towed it to Madang,” Captain Charles said.
Wednesday’s rescue was the second in the space of a few days. On Sunday the vessel helped two banana boats out in the middle of Astrolabe Bay with soccer players from Tugyak village who were travelling to Lae to take part in the Besta Momase regional soccer tournament. The two banana boats which ran out of fuel when passengers, all soccer players spotted waving and calling for help as MV Carrie was travelling to Basamuk Refinery plant with mine workers.
The kind hearted captain altered the speed of the vessel and steered closer to one of the boats and enquired when all the passengers called out that they had ran out of fuel to continue their trip and were floating helplessly on the water. They said they had spent already an hour without any help before the vessel spotted them.
Sea rescue Astrole Bay
Sea rescue Astrole Bay