(ALAMEDA, Calif.) — The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of seven people after their 85-foot commercial fishing boat caught fire Wednesday morning approximately 350 miles west of Monterey, Calif. The bulk carrier Nord Rubicon responded and rescued the crew from their life raft.
Eleventh Coast Guard District command center watch standers received multiple EPIRB and personal location beacon alerts belonging to the fishing boat Blue Dragon about 12:20 a.m.
Watch standers coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan air crew at 1:30 a.m.
Using the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER), Coast Guard watch standers issued a request for assistance and the vessel Nord Rubicon crew, located 80 miles northwest of the alert location, responded that they were willing to divert and assist the distressed mariners.
Personnel aboard Nord Rubicon, a Madiera-flagged bulker operated by Reederei Nord Group, reported an estimated time of arrival of approximately 8 a.m.
The C-27 air crew arrived on scene at 3:21 a.m. and reported Blue Dragon was on fire and survivors were aboard a life raft nearby. The air crew reported that the survivors were signaling the aircraft using a flashlight, and in response the air crew deployed a flare along with a self-locating datum marker buoy (SLDMB).
A second Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan air crew was launched at 8 a.m.
The Nord Rubicon crew arrived on scene at 9:30 a.m. and retrieved the seven crewmembers from the life raft. All crewmembers were accounted for and no injuries were reported.
Nord Rubicon transited to San Francisco with all Blue Dragon crewmembers.
