Powerboat rescued by tanker after flare alert
30/03/2023
Two people on board a powerboat in New Zealand have been rescued by a tanker crew after deploying a marine flare.
One morning in March, Coastguard Operations received a mayday from the crew of a 32-foot powerboat taking on water near Penguin Shoal off the Bay of Plenty coast at Tauranga. The vessel had engine and bilge pump problems.
The two on board, one of whom was in a wheelchair, fired a flare, which was spotted by a nearby tanker. Six Coastguard Tauranga volunteers who responded and arrived shortly after transferred both people to its lifeboat, TECT Rescue and medical checks were carried out.
A Coastguard NZ spokesperson says, “Regardless of the time of day, Coastguard volunteers continue to respond to the needs of others and do what they can to return people home safely to their families.”
