The
Amver participating car carrier Hoegh Kobe rescued a lone sailor from his disabled 42-foot sailboat approximately 280 miles northeast of Puerto Rico on June 10, 2014.
US Coast Guard rescue personnel in San Juan received a call that a commercial ship had spotted a 42-foot sailboat with engine failure and loss of the rudder. The sailor onboard was refusing to disembark the sailboat and declined any assistance from the Amver ship. The sailor requested his situation be relayed to the Coast Guard.
Coast Guard rescue personnel contacted the sailor's family and requested the Amver ship to remain on scene as there were few options for the sailor's rescue if it became necessary. The sailor, realizing the seriousness and convinced by a plea from his family, made the decision to abandon his sailboat and board the Amver ship. The survivor was sailing without an
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, decreasing his chances of being located if things had worsened.
The 652-foot
Singapore flagged Amver ship agreed to transfer the yachtsman in Puerto Rico. A
45-foot Coast Guard boat safely embarked the survivor and transported him to shore where he was met by Border Patrol personnel. He was in good health and uninjured in the rescue and transfer process.
The Hoegh Kobe, managed by
Hoegh Autoliners of Oslo, Norway,
enrolled in the Amver system on June 16, 2007.
Photo credit: marinetraffic.com
We're so thankful you continue to support Amver. How do you do that? By enrolling your ships and volunteering to help in search and rescue cases around the world. Why do you do it? Tell us! Now, help us welcome the latest Amver participants!
Today Amver turns 56 years old! From its humble beginnings as the Merchant Vessel Reporting Program. In fact the first Amver message received in 1958 was from the Dutch liner S.S. Groote Beer (right).
