Greek Amver ship saves Frenchmen

The Greek participating Amver tanker Delta Kanaris rescued four French sailors Sunday Feb. 27, 2011 after the sailors activated their personal locator beacon (PLB) approximately 1,582 miles east of Puerto Rico on Saturday.  The yachtsmen were sailing from the Canary Islands to Martinique when they encountered an unknown problem and activated the beacon.

Captain Georgios Vatsas, the master of the Greek flagged tanker, responded to a request from U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel to divert his Suezmax tanker to rescue the foursome. Within five hours of receiving orders to assist, Captain Vatsas made radio contact with the stricken sailboat and directed his crew to begin rescue operations. Captain Vatsas maneuvered the tanker alongside the sailboat to provide a lee "...from Beaufort force 6 winds and [a] sea state of about 15 feet..." said Captain Vatsas. Within three hours of locating the survivors all four were rescued without injury.

The Delta Kanaris, managed by Delta Tankers, enrolled in the Amver system on May 12, 2010 and logged 167 days on the Amver plot last year while reporting over 30 days so far this year. It seems the Amver system has been saving lots of French yachtsmen lately.  One French sailor was rescued in this case while another foursome were rescued in this case.


Photo credit: www.marinetraffic.com