Longliner
Grace 1 helps Marine Patrol rescue five fishermen
by Tina Mata'afa
Samoa News Writer
Five fishermen
were rescued last week 40 miles out from Tutuila island during
a rescue mission carried out by the Department of Marine and
Public Safety Marine Patrol and a privately owned fishing vessel,
captained by Tim Jones.
DPS Police Chief
Leiseau Vaitoelau Laumoli told Samoa News that the fishermen,
who were stranded 40 miles out Thursday evening, April 24, were
brought back to American Samoa safely by the DPS marine patrol
boat with assistance from the Grace 1, a 100-ton longline fishing
vessel owned by business man Soo Dong Kim.
Leiseau said
the fishermen radioed in for help Thursday evening after the
engines of their small craft 'alia' died out at sea. The men
anchored their boat and called for help.
Concerns that
the small DPS marine patrol boat might not have had enough fuel
to make it back from the 40-mile trip led Leiseau to call on
Jones for help.
"I didn't
know if they'd make it back so I asked Tim for help," said
Leiseau.
Jones told Samoa
News that after he was contacted by the police chief around 7
p.m., he contacted Grace 1 owner Soo Dong Kim who operates four
longliner vessels (Grace, Grace 1, Inja and the Ester) that were
in port at the time.
He said the problem
was "the rescue was further out than expected and the patrol
boat was concerned that they could be short of fuel to get back.
There was no other marine patrol boat to meet them on the way
back with fuel."
"I requested
the use of the 100 ton vessel Grace 1," said Jones. "I
used to be the owner of it and knew the boat...Kim happily offered
his asset to assist in the rescue and we were underway with the
regular captain of the boat Jose Cabalsetta by 9 p.m."
He said as the
Grace 1 headed out to help DPS, the marine patrol was spotted
on its way back with the five fishermen about 26 miles out.
"We communicated
with Marine patrol and they had indicated they had all fisherman
on board and possibly enough fuel to get back," Jones explained.
"Grace 1 followed (the) marine patrol boat back to the harbor
for safety."
The two vessels
arrived at port around 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Leiseau said
the alia is registered locally.
"I want
to thank Tim for his quick response to this emergency,"
he said. I thank the private sector and boat owner Soo Dong Kim
for letting us use his boat."
Jones, who is
a licensed captain, has assisted before in a sea rescue led by
the US Coast Guard in 1999 concerning "Fiesty Lady"
a private yacht that got caught in a storm and the captain was
severely injured.
In that rescue,
Jones was able to locate the MV Penina, a purse seiner vessel
that was headed out towards sea and diverted it towards the Fiesty
Lady.
"I brought
them in commanding Fiesty Lady as the ship was in good enough
condition to do so," he recalled.
In regard to
the most recent rescue, Jones said, "While marine Patrol
was able to make it on their own, it should be noted that if
they had run short of fuel as was the concern, very likely lives
could have been lost. We must show sincere appreciation when
private sector lends their extraordinary assets at no profit
to the government for emergencies."
Reach the
reporter at tina@samoanews.com.
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