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.

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