Responders rescue 15 boaters reported near Aguijan Island, CNMI

SANTA RITA, Guam — Fifteen boaters are safe thanks to the combined efforts of the U.S. Navy, good Samaritans from Cabras Marine Corporation, the Saipan Department of Public Safety (DPS) Boating Safety, and the U.S. Coast Guard, following a report they were disabled 15 nautical miles west of Aguijan Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, on July 21, 2024. Two of the 15 boaters were hoisted by U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) arriving to Guam on July 21, and the other 13 were rescued by the crew of the U.S.-flagged offshore supply vessel Triton operated by Cabras Marine Corporation arriving to Saipan in the early morning hours of July 22. “We thank all partners involved in this critical search effort, including Saipan DPS, DPS Tinian, and the crews of U.S. Navy’s HSC-25, MSC’s Jack Lummus, and Cabras’s Triton. Their collective efforts are invaluable in our mission to locate and rescue missing boaters. The hoist capable helicopter crew and local good Samaritans aboard the other vessels were vital to affecting a timely response and saving lives in this case,” said Lt. Chelsea Garcia, search and rescue mission coordinator.