CMA CGM Ship Rescues Four After Yacht Hits Whale

Four sailors were rescued from a life raft in the South Pacific after their yacht struck a whale and began taking on water about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island. The 51-foot Australian-flagged yacht Tai Tam was abandoned on Saturday following the collision, according to the New Zealand Defence Force. The crew activated the vessel's emergency position-indicating radio beacon at around 1 p.m. New Zealand time before taking to a life raft. Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand received the distress signal and tasked a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to locate the sailors. The P-8A crew established two-way radio communications with the survivors while nearby vessels were diverted to the scene. The sailors remained in the life raft until around 6 a.m. Sunday, when they were picked up by the 143-meter cargo ship Sofrana Surville, operated by CMA CGM, the first merchant vessel to reach the area. All four were brought safely aboard and taken to port. RCCNZ Operations Manager Mike Clulow described the operation as well coordinated, thanking the New Zealand Defence Force, Australian and New Caledonian rescue authorities, the Sofrana Surville and a private sailing vessel that also assisted. Clulow credited the yacht crew's early activation of the EPIRB with helping rescuers locate them quickly, calling it a reminder that preparedness at sea can save lives.