Wednesday, April 6 at 7:12, the Noumea MRCC received the signal of a Cospas-Sarsat maritime distress beacon.
The position of the beacon was confirmed at 7:23 and was located in the waters of Vanuatu, 140 nautical miles North East of Efate.
The owner was contacted and diverted seven ships to provide assistance to nine crewmembers adrift in a lifeboat.
A maritime surveillance aircraft was tasked in difficult weather conditions near the eye of the Zena storm with winds of 75 km/h.
The aircraft guided a Chinese fishing vessel to their location through the storm.
The ship sank following a major leak in the engine compartment that shorted out the bilge pumps.
The intervention of the Guardian aircraft of the Armed Forces of New Caledonia is noteworthy in this operation, especially since adverse weather conditions did not allow the ships in the area to locate the vessel.
Read more here:
http://www.mrcc.nc/operations/secmar/3528-sar-127-voie-d-eau-navire-de-peche-vanuatu