The MV Maersk Bogor rescued three Panamanian fishermen in distress, 45 miles south of the Panama Coast in the Pacific Ocean, who were stranded in the sea for quite a few days, exposed to sun, severe heat, and humid conditions with no shelter, and solely surviving on rainwater.

Capt Manoj Kumar Dandu, Master of the Maersk Bogor, talking about the rescue operation said, “The incident happened on 22nd May 2022. Our vessel was on a voyage from Tauranga (New Zealand) to Manzanillo (Panama).

“A United States Coast Guard aircraft pilot communicated to us via VHF CH 16, that a fishing vessel with people on board was in distress at sea, with three fishermen desperately requiring assistance. The USCG Pilot instructed us to let the three personnel onboard and disembark them at the next port.

“As the safety of life at sea and the humanitarian cause became our priority the rescue operation started immediately- despite our Panama Canal transit having been booked for the 23rd of May at 0400LT.

“Meanwhile, the ship’s Chief Officer had a quick meeting with the deck team to commence preparations with heaving lines, messenger lines, gangway nets, rigging of port side combination pilot ladder, and life-saving appliances.

“The bridge team spotted the boat with the help of binoculars on the port bow. We maneuvered the vessel in such a way that the fishing boat was brought alongside on our ship’s port side, following which we brought the boat within reach of the heaving line. The boat was brought safely alongside and we lowered the pilot ladder and the three fishermen embarked.”

The three fishermen were received safely onboard and were given bottles of drinking water, followed by checking of their body temperature and vitals.

It was indeed a great team effort that resulted in this successful rescue operation as per the plan, with a top priority of saving life at sea and the safety of Maersk Bogor’s own crew members, during such an eventful operation at sea.

Marex Media