Euronav Suezmax tanker Cedar took part in a search and rescue operation to help a sinking yacht
Cedar, a Euronav Suezmax tanker, has been nominated for a Tanker Shipping & Trade award for taking part in the search and rescue (SAR) operation off the coast of France.
During the night of 18 June 2022, Cedar participated in the SAR operation on its way to France from Lome, Togo.
53 nautical miles south of Cap Blanc, Cedar received a mayday call on VHF channel 16 from sailing boat Panda II, an 11-m sailing boat that was taking on water and in danger of sinking. The vessel was manned by two people sailing from Brazil to the Canary Islands.
Las Palmas MRCC was contacted via satellite telecoms and Cedar was ordered by MRCC to safely proceed to rescue the survivors and to leave the sailing boat in drift condition.
Cedar was placed as on-scene co-ordinator with Island Victory in close proximity, requested to be on stand-by in case further assistance was required.
The rescue operation started, aiming to bring the survivors aboard.
Cedar approached the sailing boat and positioned to wind wards of the sailboat to facilitate the rescue operation. The crew threw two heaving lines (one forward and one aft) to secure the sailing boat alongside the vessel’s starboard side lifeboat.
The crew deployed the lifeboat’s ladder, the two passengers climbed on board and the sailing boat was released and remained adrift. MRCC was informed of the successful rescue operation.
Although challenging – with adverse weather conditions, fresh breeze northerly winds with speed of approximately 20 knots and a moderate sea state with a wave height of about 2.5 m – the whole rescue only took 48 minutes. Thanks to the rescue operation. both passengers were brought safe on board Cedar.
The survivors wrote a long email to the crew of Cedar, which included, “Honestly, I don’t know how to express my deeply felt gratitude for the swift and professional action you took that saved us from going down with our boat.”
It is for this role in the search and rescue that Cedar has been nominated for an award.
Awards will be presented during a gala dinner at the Tanker Shipping & Trade Conference, Exhibition & Awards in Athens, Greece 9-10 November 2022. Register here for more details.
