Amver participating cargo ship assists in Atlantic rescue: VIDEO AVAILABLE

The Amver participating cargo ship Ocean Crescent responded to a call to rescue the crew of a 55-foot catamaran with five people on board 200 miles south southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on Friday, January 30, 2015. The five survivors were eventually rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.

Rescue personnel at the Coast Guard's Fifth District command center received a report the 55-foot catamaran Rainmaker was demasted and adrift off the North Carolina coast. Using an Amver surface picture, rescuers diverted the 393-foot ship to assist in the rescue efforts and launched an Air Station Elizabeth City helicopter.

"I am on the scene and ready to make an approach to recover the people on board," the captain of the Ocean Crescent reported. The transfer to the ship proved unsafe and the ship maneuvered to provide a lee while the helicopter hoisted the yachtsmen.


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The helicopter transported the survivors to shore. The crew plans to salvage the catamaran.

The Ocean Crescent enrolled in Amver on April 7, 2003 and has earned four Amver participation awards.

Photo credit: Shipspotter
Video credit: USCG