Moment sailors rescued from boat after shark attack in Queensland

Three sailors rescued after catamaran Tion attacked by sharks in Coral Sea south-east of Cairns, Queensland

• AMSA coordinated sailors’ rescue
• Sailors to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday

Three foreign sailors have been rescued after several terrifying encounters with sharks that destroyed their catamaran off the Australian east coast.

Russian adventurers Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin and Frenchman Vincent Beaujeu were sailing from Vanuatu to Cairns on their 9m long inflatable catamaran Tion when several shark attacks damaged both hulls.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority coordinated the rescue in the Coral Sea south-east of Cairns after responding to a radio distress beacon from the trio’s vessel around 1.30am Wednesday.

AMSA requested the assistance of Panama-flagged cargo ship Dugong Ace and deployed the Cairns-based challenger rescue aircraft to the scene 835km away.

The rescue vessel and aircraft reached the stricken sailors three hours later.

Dramatic photos and footage released by the AMSA show the catamaran began sinking during the rescue mission.

Sailors Evgeny Kovalevsky, Vincent Beaujeu and Stanislav Berezkin were heading to Cairns when disaster struck

READ MORE: Aussie castaway rescued after three months adrift

The sailors were successfully rescued and are scheduled to back on dry land in Brisbane on Thursday morning.

The trio are believed to be good health.

‘They’re very lucky … it’s rare to have a vessel so close in such a remote location,’ AMSA on-duty response centre manager Joseph Keller said.

‘This operation shows once again that maritime rescue efforts transcend geopolitics and international boundaries. 

He added the catamaran’s stern had been ripped apart by sharks.

‘A large section of the vessel, the right aft, had been completely removed and destroyed,’ Mr Zeller said.

‘The Dugong Ace took the sailors on via a boarding ladder, which would have been a hairy situation itself, climbing up the side of the ship.’ 

Mr Kovalevsky and fellow adventurer Beryozkin were two thirds into a three year voyage tracing the first 19th century Russian around-the-world expedition

The 9minflatable catamaran (pictured) began taking on during rescue efforts

The trio were rescued from their damaged vessel 835km from their next destination Cairns

The pair and French crew member Mr Beaujeu left Vanuatu a week ago and had hoped to arrive in Cairns next Monday.

The trio were fully aware their upcoming voyage across the Pacific wouldn’t be smooth sailing.

‘We set off from Vanuatu, from the island of Efate, where we had been moored for a week, made repairs. We are going to Cairns, Australia,’ Mr Kovalevsky told the Russian Geographical Society last week.

‘The waves are up to three meters; the breeze is up to 20 knots, probably. At times it will pick up to all 25.’

The sailors had spent ten days in Vanuatu while repairs were made to their catamaran, including a fractured hull and earlier damage from cigar sharks.

‘We were amazed at how easy it turned out. We start the engine, we go out of the lagoon, and we’ll set sails at the exit. See you in Australia,’ Mr Kovalevsky added.

It’s currently unknown when or whether the sailors will continue their voyage.

Wednesday’s rescue serves as a timely reminder for sailors always to carry a distress beacon whenever on the water and ensure it’s registered with AMSA.

The catamaran (pictured) has been damaged by several sharks in recent weeks

Cargo ship Dugong Ace (left) rescued the sailors and is en route to Brisbane

Source: Read Full Article