Heroic Merchant Mariner Rescues Stranded Sailor from Remote Pacific
On April 26, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, Nikkei Verde, spotted and rescued a sailor adrift in a far out desolate stretch of the Pacific Ocean, some 2,150 miles southeast of Hawaii.
Two months ago four sailors reportedly left Colombia in a 23-foot skiff. At some point their skiff’s engine failed and they were left adrift. The 29-year-old Colombian mariner – who has not been identified – is the sole survivor of the four was brought on board the cargo ship, that was on its way to China and then was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in Honolulu.
He reportedly survived the two month ordeal by eating fish and seagulls and arrived in Honolulu in good condition on Wednesday.
Later the survivor spoke through a Coast Guard interpreter and thanked his rescuers and God. He said he would have loved it if his friends from the skiff could have been there with him. The Colombian consulate is now helping him return home.
Coast Guard Lt. Commander John MacKinnon said, ‘The Pacific is vast and inherently dangerous and all mariners respect that. These merchant mariners did the right thing in rendering assistance and most mariners heed the obligation to render assistance at sea, found in the Safety Of Life At Sea Convention, out of a sense of duty and understanding rather than required compliance.’
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Source: USCG News
