Coast Guard, partners rescue three overdue mariners in Kiribati

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii and the Pacific Contact: 14th District Public Affairs Office: (808) 535-3230 After Hours: HawaiiPacific@uscg.mil 14th District online newsroom

Coast Guard, partners rescue three overdue mariners in Kiribati

HONOLULU — Coast Guard, Fiji Rescue Coordination Center responders, and the fishing vessel Namurai rescued three overdue mariners in the vicinity of Tarawa, Kiribati, Monday.

The crew of the fishing vessel Namurai rescued the mariners, last seen on July 4th, and transported them back to Tarawa.

“Through coordination with our partners in Fiji and Kiribati, we were able to save three members of our community and bring them back home to their families,” said Jennifer Conklin, search and rescue mission coordinator for Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu. “The vast nature of the Pacific makes these partnerships vital to the success of search and rescue missions.” 

At 7:45 p.m., Thursday, JRCC watchstanders received notification of an overdue 20-foot skiff with three men on board en route to Ewena, Abaiang, 30-miles north of their departure point. 

Upon notification, JRCC watchstanders deployed an Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules aircrew to conduct searches in the vicinity of Tarawa. At 7:28 p.m. Sunday, the aircrew located the missing vessel and dropped flare markers along with a search and rescue radar transponder. 

The crew of the HC-130 made contact with the nearby fishing vessel Namurai who picked up the three mariners and transported them back to Tarawa; the aircrew remained overhead until the two vessels were in sight of each other.

*all times and dates are in Hawaii Standard Time.

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