Lives saved
Fishing
Ocean
Boat Sinking
Fire
Heroic Effort: Japan Coast Guard Rescues Fishermen from Burning Ship
27°55N°N, 131°55E°E
Posted on May 28, 2024 by Yonabaru-Nishihara fisherman's cooperative association,
What happened?
Fishing Vessel Shouyo Maru No.7, with three crew members on board, departed from Yonabaru City, Tozoe Fishing Port, on February 5, 2023, for squid flag fishing. While on route to a fishing ground, the captain noticed a fire in the engine room after hearing a strange noise around 12:30 AM.
Despite the captain and crew’s efforts to extinguish the fire, the flames and smoke intensified, making it impossible to stay in the engine room. The captain decided to abandon ship and move into the life raft, activating two units of our ResQLink 400 PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons).
The Japan Coast Guard received the distress signals from these PLBs around 1:20 AM and immediately initiated rescue operations. Concurrently, the Japan Coast Guard requested assistance from nearby fishing boats.
One of these boats, F/V Himeka Maru, belonging to the Chinen Fisheries Cooperative in Okinawa Prefecture, located the life raft around 3:20 AM, and all three crew members were transferred to this vessel.
Later, F/V Chouyo Maru No.1, from the same fisheries cooperative as the distressed vessel, reached Himeka Maru around 7:00 AM, and the crew members were transferred to this vessel.
A patrol vessel from the Japan Coast Guard, P/V Isonami, met F/V Dai Chouyo Maru No.1, and the crew members were transferred to it around 11:00 AM. The vessel then arrived at Koniya Fishing Port in Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, around 2:00 PM. All three crew members were successfully rescued.
Unfortunately, the vessel that caught fire eventually sank.
Words of wisdom
“There’s no need to worry if you’re prepared”
Although the vessel sank after fire, the lives of all crews were saved because they carried
PLBs.
Thank you note
It was an unexpected fire on the vessel that resulted in the vessel sinking. We would like to
express our sincere gratitude to all the people on F/V Himeka Maru, F/V Shouyo Maru No.1
and P/V Isonami (Japan Coast Guard) for having rescued us from such an emergency
situation
Rescue location
Approx. 180 km east of Kikai Irland, Kagoshima prefecture
Rescue team
Coast Guard
ResQLink™ 400
Go to product details$369.95
Small but resilient, the ResQLink 400 has been professionally engineered and tested to ensure it can withstand even the harshest elements. This buoyant Personal Locator Beacon requires no subscription for use and can be utilized to enhance your safety in a wide variety of environments. Whether on land, at sea, or in the air, trust that the ResQLink’s satellite precision and military durability, put rescue in the palm of your hands.
Features and Benefits:
- No Subscription Required
- GPS and Galileo GNSS
- Built-In Buoyancy
- Strobe and Infrared Strobe
- Global Coverage
- MEOSAR Compatible
- Small and lightweight
- 5-year battery life
- 24+ hours Operational Life**
- Multi-function Clip System Included