On January 6, a Royal Navy patrol vessel saved five crewmembers from a sinking tug off the coast of Sint Maarten, and brought survivors to safety during high winds.
Namely, patrol vessel HMS Medway was near the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla when its received a request for assistance from a coastwise tug.
The towing vessel was taking on water, and when its engines failed, the crew sent out a distress call. The five crewmembers abandoned ship and were transferred safely over to their tow.
The vessel’s watchstanders coordinated with the Martinique Rescue Coordination Centre and got under way to the distressed vessel’s position. The speedy patrol ship arrived on scene about 20 minutes after receiving the call.
Upio arrival, Medway used a boat crew to retrieve the survivors from the drifting barge. The weather was rough, with gusts to 30 knots and heavy rainshowers.
The crewmembers were shocked but unharmed, and the boat crew transferred them safely back to HMS Medway. After a checkover, they were passed over to a SAR boat crew from Anguilla.
Though the tug was low in the water when Medway left the area, it had not yet fully sunk.
