HONOLULU – Twenty-one people are safe after being rescued from a burning boat 230 miles south of Jarvis Island, Saturday.
Watchstanders at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center received a distress alert from an emergency position indicating radio beacon at 2 a.m.
JRCC determined the EPIRB belonged to Kiribati-flagged, 140-foot fishing vessel Betty C.
JRCC issued a safetynet broadcast to which US-flagged fishing vessel Cape Ferrat responded. Cape Ferrat arrived on scene at 9:30 a.m. and discovered Betty C on fire and its 21 passengers adrift in a small skiff after abandoning ship.
Cape Ferrat safely rescued all 21 passengers from the skiff and will transfer them to American Samoa. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown.
The vessel’s owner is working to develop a plan to salvage the vessel.
For more information on the technology that supports the Coast Guard's long range search and rescue mission visit the following link.
http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2013/05/search-and-rescue-oceania/
Media interested in learning more about the process of long range search and rescue may contact the 14th Coast Guard District public affairs office at (808) 535-3230.
No imagery is available for this case.