Marine cops rescue six from boat in trouble

RCIPS Joint Marine Unit vessel, the Niven D

(CNS): The Joint Marine Unit was in action on the water again on Tuesday when it rescued six people from a 24ft boat that was heading out through the ‘Big Channel’, which was hit by a large wave. A person on board called 911 around 4pm yesterday (15 December) after the boat began taking on water, lost power and was no longer maneuverable. When checks with the Port Authority found no other boats were nearby, the Joint Marine Unit officers on board the Niven D responded to the call for service. They reached the vessel outside the reef to the west of the channel within twenty minutes. 

“Given the fact that the situation presented the requisite circumstances, The Niven D then towed the boat to safety, where all six persons disembarked unharmed,” police said.

“We were able to respond fairly quickly in this instance,” Sergeant Antonio Hanna of the Joint Marine Unit said. “But depending on a vessel’s location that is not always possible. Thanks to the 911 Communications Centre, the emergency dispatch and communications with Port Authority went smoothly. Luckily a passenger on the boat had an operational mobile phone. We recommend keeping mobile phones in plastic Ziploc bags on board precisely for instances like these, but even more importantly, that boat captains have and use their VHF radio to contact the Port Authority and nearby boats directly, saving precious time,” he added.

The RCIPS will be discussing water and boating safety in media appearances over the next week, as one of the areas of focus under its Holiday Safety Initiative. This year has proved a treacherous one at sea with a number of rescues undertaken by the JMU but 15 people have lost their lives in a number of water related incidents, including boating incidents.