On February 1st, the passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen sank in heavy seas off Papua Guinea.  The search for survivors continues.

Papua New Guinea’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center spokesperson Nerae Mari Mahu said estimates of the numbers on board the vessel ranged between 300 and 350, but that the owners of the 47m vessel, Rabaul Shipping, were yet to produce the relevant documents.  She confirmed reports that many of those aboard were either students or teachers.

“We’re optimistic that with this amount of co-operation that the rescue will go well,” she said. “We won’t rest until everyone is accounted for.”

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is currently providing assistance to the PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) by way of aviation assets (including AMSA Dornier, Careflight lear jet and Australian Defence Force P-3C Orion fixed-wing aircraft and local helicopters) to assist the merchant vessels on scene.

In an update to our previous report yesterday, the five vessels with survivors on board proceeded to Lae last night, with the first vessel arriving shortly after 1:00am AEDT today.

Updated reports from the five vessels indicate there were approximately 246 survivors recovered yesterday (Thursday 2 February).

Transfer of survivors from the merchant vessels to Lae is being coordinated by PNG authorities. PNG officials are processing the survivors on arrival in Lae.

Four AMSA search and rescue personnel arrived in Lae on Thursday evening to provide further assistance to RCC Australia and PNG MRCC.  AMSA is further assisting the PNG MRCC by providing search area planning and drift modeling.

AMSA and the Australian Government Crisis Coordination Centre are working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby.

A Papua-New Guinea (PNG) flagged passenger ship/RoRo sunk yesterday in heavy seas off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea.  350 people are reported to have been on board the vessel.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the MV Rabaul Queen was believed to have sunk while traveling from Kimbe to Lae, in Papua New Guinea, at around 7.30am yesterday morning, Canberra time.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by the sinking of the MV Rabaul Queen,” Mr Rudd said.

“I spoke to my counterpart, PNG Foreign Minister Ano Pala, earlier today to inform him that Australia stands ready to offer all necessary assistance.”

Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard

The Australia Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is currently providing assistance to Papua New Guinea and eight merchant vessels remain on scene.  238 survivors have so far been recovered by five of the ships.

Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard spoke with reporters in Melbourne yesterday:

“This is obviously a major tragedy.  Given the likely very high loss of life here, I think when this news comes to the attention of Australians around the country they will be thinking about the people of PNG as they respond to this tragedy.”

It is expected that the five ships will passage towards Lae overnight. Arrangements for transferring survivors will be made by PNG authorities.

Earlier reports of fine weather conditions have been contradicted by vessels on scene. There are currently strong north-westerly winds at 40kts, and a five-metre sea swell.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Capt Nurur Rahman, from the National Maritime Safety Authority, said he was hopeful of finding more people alive in the tropical waters.

“People have survived for up to two days,” he told the Associated Press news agency.  He also added that the number of people who were on board may be lower than previously reported – perhaps at about 300.

*UPDATE*
AMSA continues to provide ongoing assistance to the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) with coordinating search efforts.

The five vessels, with a total of 238 survivors on board, proceeded to Lae last night, with the first vessel arriving shortly after 1:00am AEDT.

The passengers are being transferred to Lae by the port’s tug, under the coordination of PNG authorities. In addition to the three merchant vessels on scene, four aircraft will participate in this morning’s search – two local helicopters, AMSA’s dedicated search and rescue Dornier aircraft from Cairns and a Careflight lear jet from Townsville.

Today’s search will commence at first light (approx. 7:00am AEDT).

For insight into this question we bring you an article by the US Coast Guard on how a mostly forgotten tragedy changed the face of future rescue operations in this country.

Thirty-one years ago the Coast Guard led one of the nation’s largest search and rescue cases when the 519 passengers and crew of the Dutch cruise ship Prinsendam were forced to abandon ship more than 150-miles off the coast of Alaska after an engine room fire spread throughout the vessel.

Over the course of 24 hours, Coast Guard Cutters Boutwell, Woodrush and Mellon as well as rescue aircraft deployed from Air Stations Sitka and Kodiak would work side-by-side with the U.S. Air Force, Canadian navy and an AMVER-tasked tanker to rescue all hands from 12 to 15 foot seas and 25 to 30 knot winds generated by a nearby Arctic typhoon.

USCG Photo

The Prinsendam was a 427-foot long cruise liner built in 1973. The liner was transiting through the Gulf of Alaska, approximately 120 miles south of Yakutat, Alaska, at midnight Oct. 4, 1980, when fire broke out in the engine room.

With conditions too dangerous for the deployment of small boats from the cutters, survivors were forced to climb aboard the tanker and cutters with the help of two Air Force pararescuemen while hypothermic survivors were ferried to shore by rescue helicopters. The helicopters would then refuel and head back out to the scene for their next load of passengers.

In the immediate aftermath of the rescue, the Coast Guard identified areas of improvement in search and rescue operations which would save tens of thousands of lives in the decades ahead.

In the findings of the Prinsendam investigation, Rear Adm. Richard Knapp noted, “The training and expertise of the Air Force pararescuemen was responsible for the survival of passengers …. It is notable that we were forced to rely on another agency to provide these personnel. I recommend we develop a similar, highly-trained, well-equipped rescue elite.”

Those “rescue elite” would of course become the aviation survival technicians of the Coast Guard rescue swimmer program.

Another deficiency cited in the investigation was the need for rescue helicopters to return to shore to refuel while survivors remained in the water. The critical role rescue helicopters play during extended search and rescue cases would ultimately lead to the helicopter in-flight refueling capability now standard on Coast Guard rescue helicopters.

U.S. Coast Guard photo.

The rescue of the Prinsendam was particularly significant because of the distance traveled by the rescuers, the coordination of independent organizations and the fact that all 519 passengers and crew were rescued without loss of life or serious injury.

These new capabilities would more than prove their value in future cases ranging from the Coast Guard response to Hurricane Katrina to another Arctic rescue when the Alaska Ranger was lost at sea.

At a time when America considers its Arctic future and the role the Coast Guard will play in protecting American lives and national interests in the often harsh conditions found above the Arctic Circle, the Prinsendam rescue serves as a stark reminder of the necessity for a robust Coast Guard presence in America’s Arctic waters.

This article was originally written by  Christopher Lagan and Ademide Adedokun for the blog CG Compass. 

A Mexican Navy helicopter hovers above the abandoned Trinity II. Photo courtesy Mexican Navy

Mexican state-owned petroleum company Pemex reported Sunday that 7 of the ten missing persons from the abandoned Trinity IIhave been found alive in the Southern Gulf of Mexico.  Pemex also says that, sadly, rescuers recovered two bodies, and one remains missing.

The crew was reportedly found floating about 51 miles east-northeast of the Cayo Arc oil terminal, and was airlifted to a Pemex hospital in Ciudad del Carmen.

Search and rescue operations were conducted by Pemex and the Mexican Navy, and included helicopters, planes, the offshore vessel Rem Forza, Bourbon Artavaze, the Osa Goliat, and the Mexican vessel Isla del Toro.  Today, search and rescue continues for the one still missing.

The 10 man crew of the jackup liftboat Trinity II, which was contracted to Houston-based Geokinetics, were forced to abandon ship Thursday afternoon into a liferaft as a result of rough seas caused by Tropical Storm Nate.

The Trinity II is owned by Trinity Liftboat Services based in New Iberia, LA and was supporting a project in the Bay of Campeche when the incident occurred.

UPDATE: The Associated Press has reported that one of the seven workers found alive died Sunday night.

Liftboat Trinity II

UPDATE: Read HERE for Monday update on this incident.

Ten people are missing after a liftboat contracted by the seismic data services company, Geokinetics, became disabled and began to take on water in the Southern Gulf of Mexico yesterday as a result of high seas produced by Tropical Storm Nate.

The liftboat, the Trinity II, is owned by Trinity Liftboat Services based in New Iberia, LA and was supporting a project in the Bay of Campeche when the incident occurred.  The ten people on board consisted of four crew members from Trinity, three Geokinetics employees and three independent contractors.

The company says the incident was first reported at approximately 12:25 p.m. CST, Thursday, when the liftboat captain communicated that the crew was abandoning the vessel and boarding a life raft.  The company adds that the crew was later visually observed boarding the life raft.

Rescue efforts were initially hampered by the inclement weather, however, were stepped up Friday to include several boats working with Mexico’s Pemex, five helicopters and a plane.

UPDATE:  Names of the crew have been released, as all families have been notified, and can be found HERE.

General Dynamics C4 Systems announces that the U.S. Coast Guard completed the 25,000th Rescue 21 search and rescue mission in Sector San Francisco, a major milestone for the system that has helped to save hundreds of lives since it was activated in 2005. Currently comprising 26 command centers, 179 towers and covering approximately 37,000 miles of coastline, Rescue 21′s primary mission is to locate and assist mariners in distress. General Dynamics C4 Systems is the prime contractor for the Rescue 21 system.

Michael O’Hara, program manager for Rescue 21 for General Dynamics C4 Systems, said, “The Coast Guard is an integral part of the Department of Homeland Security. As new sectors are added to the Rescue 21 system, the Coast Guard is better equipped to perform both life-saving and homeland security missions with greater agility and increased efficiency.”

Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to perform the functional tasks of command, control and communications along United States inland and coastal zones including the Great Lakes, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico. The integrated system of command centers, towers and advanced direction-finding technology, detects and locates distress calls and can detect hoax calls, avoiding unnecessary and expensive tasking of rescue personnel and resources.

The U.S. Coast Guard recently opened the Yerba Buena Island Interagency Operations Center in the San Francisco Bay area. The event also marked the acceptance of the Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 communications system, which was incorporated into the new command center at Sector San Francisco. More information about the opening of the Yerba Buena Island Interagency Operations Center is available online at https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/823/1126167/.

Information about Rescue 21, including a map depicting coverage of the Rescue 21 system, go to  www.gdc4s.com/Rescue21.

Source: General Dynamics C4 Systems

Some years ago in a now defunct navy journal an article was written about what people think when they fall overboard. Several predominant factors were recognized: (1) Do they know I am overboard? (2) What are they doing? (3) How can I help my rescue? After some study and research the following was gleaned:

a. Most victims that fall overboard and are not recovered because their location is not known.

b. Some recovered bodies showed signs of exhaustion rather than drowning.

c. Recovered victims that remained afloat and conserved energy and remained in a position near the wake were recovered soonest.

It was determined that if the person falling overboard had knowledge of the search and rescue procedures it could increase the victims chances of recovery.

Therefore the following was developed:

INSTRUCTIONS IF YOU SHOULD FALL OVERBOARD.

1. Immediately upon notification that some one has fallen overboard or is missing the international signal for man overboard will be sounded on the ships whistle: three blasts (the letter O in the international Morse code) and a vertically fired flare will be launched. A radio message will also be transmitted on area and international frequencies.

2. If you are in sight, the ship will return to your position by the most expeditious means. This may mean simply turning around and coming to you, or if you are not in sight or it is dark or foggy, by using a Williamson Turn to retrace the ship’s track and then start a search for you.

3. Do not panic or try to swim to the ship. Use your shirt, coat or pants to make a flotation pillow.

4. WHEN THE SHIP ARRIVES AT THE START SEARCH POSITION IT WILL BLOW TWO VERY LONG WHISTLE

BLASTS AND LAUNCH A SMOKE FLOAT. The ship will then commence a search for you and will return to that smoke float every 15 minutes and sound a very long blast, and then resume searching.

5. You should swim towards the Start Search Point regardless of what the ship does. Do not swim after the ship.

6. Following these instruction will greatly improve your chances of recovery and can expedite the search.

7. If you need any further clarification ask questions now.

It is recommended this notice be posted on all department bulletin boards.

This article was written by Captain John Denham, a veteran of 66 years maritime experience in seamanship, ship handling, navigation, piloting, and education. he is also author of The Assistant and DD 891.

In October 2009 the Transocean rig Marianas began drilling a well named Macondo, but she suffered damage in a hurricane and was replaced by the Deepwater Horizon. Five months later Macondo exploded killing 11 rig workers and injuring 17 more. But this was not the Marianas’ first brush with disaster.

Originally named the MSV Tharos, the Marianas was built by the famed Red Adair as a firefighting support rig. The rig included space for the launch of helicopters, powerful firefighting equipment and even a 22 bed hospital. These attributes saved lives in July of 1988 when the Piper Alpha production platform exploded in flames and the Tharos was dispatched to rescue survivors.

Today no such platform exists. US Coast Guard officials have testified that launching the first search and rescue helicopter took 24 minutes the night of the Macondo blowout and flight time to the incident location took significantly longer. Once on location, helicopters could only standby for short periods of time before running out of fuel. Eventually the Cutter Zephyr was dispatched to provide a platform for the coordination of efforts but due to her distance from the incident she was slow in arriving.

Last tuesday the oil majors announced a $1 billion plan to build infrastructure and stage equipment for rapid oil spill response in the event of another major blowout. But how much are they spending on infrastructure and equipment for rapid medical and SAR response? Zero.

Maybe it’s time to think broadly on the topic of safety of life offshore and invest in making the workplace safer but also in making lifesaving resources more abundant. Maybe the oil majors should invest $1 billion in an offshore hospital platform complete with advanced firefighting teams, helicopter hanger bays and fueling stations? Or is it too much to expect that injured offshore workers get medical treatment within the golden hour and that helicopters with nightvision, FLIR scanners and other Search and Rescue technology be forward deployed and ready to use?

Just a though. What are your ideas for prevention and response to major emergencies offshore?

AIS has been a revolutionary product and, regardless of your opinion on its use, has changed the way mates handle heavy traffic situations. Jotron, makers of various SOLAS compliant marine safety electronics, is looking to bring this revolution to Search And Rescue operations with the introduction of an AIS enabled Search And Rescue Transponder (SART).

The device will work similar to traditional SARTs but, rather than show the position of a lifeboat on your 3cm radar, will transmit the exact GPS coordinates to all AIS enabled devices within VHF range.

We are excited not only by the product itself but the advancement of new ideas for sharing of data among the AIS network. gCaptain recently discussed the topic with the Coast Guard’s office for marine safety and is working with them to outline ideas to take AIS and data sharing from a point-to-point system to a web of collaborative sharing. Here is a basic summary of our question to marine safety:

AIS is a great system but it’s linear and data is stuck in predefined categories. Can a system be developed that facilitates discussion and information sharing between ship captain, pilots and VTS? We would be very interested in a system that facilitates discussion and allows collaboration between all parties.

One example of the failure of linear communication would be the Pasha Bulker incident. At first notice of the weather system that eventually caused the vessel to drag anchor and run aground, 56 ships were anchored in Newcastle Harbor. Each vessel received the same information via weather fax but 46 ships decided to head for the safety of sea, 10 stayed behind, 3 dragged anchor and one landed on the beach. Why had 10 captains interpreted the weather data so differently from the other 46?

Another example is the alission between the Cosco Busan and the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Why did her pilot decide to get underway while others delayed departure?

The answer to both questions lies in the minds of each Captain but our knowledge of vessel operations brings us to the conclusion that there is a sever lack of collaboration among Captains. This is particularly troubling in aggregate. Why? If we assume Captains have and average of 20 years on the job then the cumulative experience in Newcastle harbor that day exceeded 1120 years. In a time when the average employee can work from home with full access to company data, conference calls, shared documents and such why do we not share safety critical information between ships? The answer lies first in the attitude of self sufficiency that is present in the minds of most ship Captains but this is only half of the problem. The other half derives from the lack of systems capable of this type of collaboration. Could a system like AIS be transformed to allow the sharing of data, conditions and ideas?

I do not believe an AIS enabled SART will prevent the next big incident but the imaginative thought behind the idea combined with the use of existing infrastructure towards a specific goal (saving lives) is an encouraging notion indeed and gives us wide hope for the future.

For more creative uses of AIS technology be sure to read THIS POST over at Panbo. Also stay tuned for a look at AIS receivers aboard AeroMech AUV’s!