After one long day of a full-press search for the tall ship Alvei, New Zealand Coast Guard’s P-3 aircraft crew was able to find the overdue ship. The reason for worry? Expected radio check-ins never happened. News.au tells us;
Julia Lang from Maritime New Zealand said authorities would meet The Alvei’s crew when they arrived in Opua, in New Zealand in 8-10 days time.
They would be asked why the ship did not respond to the radio broadcasts, and why the delay was not reported to authorities.
“Relatives have been concerned … had the vessel been making VHF contact we would have been able to allay anyone’s fear relatively quickly,” Lang said.
“All maritime authorities internationally see skippers as responsible for their vessels. Part of that is being responsible by keeping regular and scheduled communications via maritime radio or other means.
“The fact is it has been extremely difficult. It created a lot of anxiety.”
It is unclear whether the crew may be asked to fund the cost of the search. Continue Reading…
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