The Coast Guard along with the Air Force and several regional authorities are searching for the captain of the Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel “Rising Wind”. Specifically, the 47-year old mariner reported to be missing by the first officer on 12 Ferbuary, at 174 miles northwest of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.
On February 10, USCG received a report that a 14-foot skiff carrying four crewmembers from the ITV Melvin L. King struck a towing vessel and all four people entered the water at mile marker 41, in the Port Allen Route near Belle River, Louisiana. Two have been rescued, but one is still missing, while one body has been recovered.
On 6 February 2020, the tanker SСF Angara, while en-route from the Port of Ust-Luga to Copenhagen, received a distress signal from the Russian fishing trawler Pongoma, which was sinking on the traverse of Tallinn, 26 nautical miles offshore. The tanker and the crew responded and rescued all seven members of the fishing vessel.
Drones play a major role today in shipping operations, with UK Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) commenting that ‘drones could be used in the future to help save life across the UK.’ To implement the project, UK MCA will collaborate with Elbit Systems UK and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to carry out the demonstrations in the coming months.
The US Coast Guard and local agencies responded to a report of two towing vessels that collided on the Mississippi River at mile marker 123, near Luling, Louisiana, on January 26. After the collision, four crew were reported missing, but one was found.
Namely, in his statement at the Foreign Affairs Council, High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell stated that the EU needs to revive Operation Sophia. It was in May 2019 when the European Union decided to suspend the EUNAVFOR MED ‘Operation Sophia’ until 30 September 2019, with only air patrols to continue.
On January 10, the Captain and crew of the M/V Sunda, recovered from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a skipper along with a family of four members because of engine malfunction of their sailing boat.
Following the incident of collision between a fishing vessel and a chemical tanker, the USCG issued an update informing of the suspension of search and rescue operations for the two fishermen missing and reporting of a spill that has been observed on the scene.
On January 14, firefighters in Coos Bay, Oregon saved three fishermen who got trapped in the hull of a capsized fishing boat. The vessel had washed up on the north jetty of the Coos Bay bar.
USCG issued guidance highlighting suitable distress signal devices for vessels that transit outside the territorial limits and may require long-range rescue response provided through the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
