Amver Container Ship Rescues Solo Sailor

A lone sailor in a 60-foot double-masted sailboat experienced extreme weather and was rescued by the Amver participating container ship Cap Papatele approximately 1,095 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii on Sunday, April 11, 2019.

U.S. Coast Guard officials at the Fourteenth District command center received a phone call from a friend of the sailor. The friend reported he was worried about the sailor and the sailor was experiencing extremely severe weather and wanted to be rescued from his sailboat.

The Coast Guard queried the Amver system and contacted the container ship Cap Paptele. The captain of the Singapore-flagged ship agreed to divert and assist the sailor. "Good day, we are heading towards the last known position of the sailboat," the master of the Cap Papatele emailed to rescue authorities.

The sailor reported weather conditions were worsening and he did not know if he could survive another night on the boat. He donned his safety equipment, strobe light, and a life jacket as the Cap Papatele was able to maneuver alongside and, despite 25-knot winds and waves greater than 12 feet, successfully recovered the sailor.

The Cap Papatele disembarked the survivor in Long Beach, California. The Cap Papatele enrolled in Amver on February 21, 2011.

Photo credit: marinetraffic.com

Amver Bulk Carrier Saves Four

The Amver participating bulk carrier Bulk Aries rescued four people from a sailboat adrift approximately 750 miles west of Acapulco, Mexico on Sunday, April 7, 2019.

The yachtsmen claimed they had been attacked by pirates and needed assistance. Their satellite phone company contacted U.S. Coast Guard rescue authorities to report the incident. The Coast Guard then queried the Amver system and located the 656-foot bulk carrier and asked the captain if he would divert his ship to assist the sailboat.

 The Spanish sailors reported they were attacked by pirates, were low on food and water and did not have an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). They also reported they did not have life jackets or a life raft. The sailors were advised that the Bulk Aries agreed to divert and was on the way to rescue them.

The Bulk Aries arrived at the last known location of the sailboat and began making radio call outs and searching for the boat. The crew of the Singapore flagged ship was able to locate the boat and safely embark the four survivors. The yachtsmen were uninjured.

The Bulk Aries disembarked the survivors at their port call in Peru. The Bulk Aries enrolled in Amver on August 18, 2016.

Photo credit: marinetraffic.com

Welcome Wednesday!

It's that time of the week. Time to take a look at who joined Amver. Have you considered joining? These ships are setting the example and ensuring no call for help goes unanswered. Will you join them?

• NORDIC COPENHAGEN
• LEV SOLDATOV
• ORIENTAL PEARL 8
• YU KUN
• COTINGA
• TONNE
• FOLEGANDROS

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

Four more ships have joined the ranks of the more than 20,000 ships that volunteer to save lives at sea. Why would any shipping company want the extra burden of participating in Amver? For starters, the administrative burden of enrolling is small.

It takes less than 5 minutes to enroll a ship. Second, position reports can be sent automatically from several commercial providers such as Pole Star or Transas. Finally, if you have to send manual reports those are only a few lines of an email.

Your ship won't be unnecessarily diverted for an emergency. The benefit is you may end of saving a life. So please, consider joining Amver and help us welcome the latest members is the Amver safety network.

• NEW HONOR
• JACOB OLDENDORFF
• SPECTRUM OF THE SEAS
• DEBBIE H

Photo credit: Fotolia