Amver Oil Tanker Saves Swedish Sailor

A Swedish sailor was rescued from his sailboat after he lost all electronics and developed rudder and sail issues approximately 500 miles southeast of Nantucket on Sunday, May 23, 2019.

United States Coast Guard rescue authorities at the First District Rescue  Coordination Center received a distress alert for the 33-foot sailboat and request the Amver participating oil tanker Front Leopard divert and assist the sailor. A U.S. Coast Guard C-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was also dispatched to the scene. The Captain of the Marshall Island flagged tanker reported "I can be on the scene in three hours."

The Front Leopard captain arrived at the distress location and emailed back to the Coast Guard, "There is no vessel in the distress position but we see a suspicious radar target drifting to our south at two knots. We also observed a red flare in the same position, approximately four miles away. We are altering course to that location and I have four lookouts posted and the powerful searchlight illuminated."

Shortly after that report the 823-foot tanker located the boat with the 63-year old sailor aboard. Despite 10-foot waves and 20 knot winds, the crew of the Front Leopard was able to safely rescue the sailor using the Jacobs Ladder. The sailor was in good health and remained aboard the Front Leopard until it arrived in Houston.

The Front Leopard, managed by Frontline Management of Bermuda, enrolled in Amver on April 12, 2016 and has earned four Amver awards for participation.

Video credit: U.S. Coast Guard