Twenty-seven crew members were rescued from the Ecuadorian-flagged fishing vessel Drennec after a fire broke out in waters 527 miles southwest of the Galapagos Islands, with the U.S. Coast Guard coordinating the response.
The crew abandoned Drennec and moved to a life raft after the fire. The fishing vessel Ricky A and container ship Oluf Maersk later responded to a Coast Guard request for assistance.
At about 8 p.m. on 20 August, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Southwest District received several distress signals from Drennec. These included an emergency beacon and an Iridium alert transmitted through a Garmin inReach device.
The Coast Guard contacted Garmin Response, which confirmed that the vessel was on fire and that all 27 crew members had evacuated to a life raft.
The Coast Guard then sought support from vessels in the area through the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER). Following the request, Ricky A and Oluf Maersk diverted to assist with the rescue.
Ricky A picked up all 27 crew members from the life raft. Oluf Maersk also reached the area and remained nearby to provide assistance.
By 10:15 a.m. on 21 August, the entire crew was safely aboard Ricky A. The vessel is taking the rescued crew members to Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Doug Samp, the Coast Guard’s search and rescue mission coordinator, said the rescue of all 27 crew members was completed within 11 hours of the first distress alert. He said the response involved the crew’s emergency devices and coordination among the U.S. Coast Guard, Ecuador’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, Ricky A and Oluf Maersk.
AMVER enables participating merchant vessels to provide information that can be used by the U.S. Coast Guard during search and rescue operations. Nearby commercial ships can then be identified and asked to assist when a vessel is in distress.
