18
Jul

GME PLB Assists in Rescue of 4 People off Torres Strait

A GME MT410G Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) was used in the rescue of four people after their vessel experienced mechanical issues off Torres Strait on July 5th, 2020.

Thursday Island (TI) Water Police advised the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Australia they were coordinating a response to a broken-down vessel and requested they activate their beacon due to confusion on the precise location of the vessel and concerns regarding incoming poor weather. Detection was received by the JRCC which came from a beacon registered to a recreational vessel located off Mount Earnest Island, 9 Nautical Miles East of Moa Island Torres Strait. These details were passed on to the TI Water Police to coordinate the rescue.

Police quickly tasked a rescue helicopter and a police vessel to assist at the scene. The rescue helicopter was first on scene and successfully recovered the four people on board and returned them to land, leaving the vessel safely at anchor. The police vessel later arrived on scene and took the broken-down vessel under tow.

This serves to remind us how important it is to carry PLBs and EPIRBs and ensure that their registration details are up to date before heading out to sea.

For more information on the MT410G used in this rescue click here.