Swift rescue for stranded fishermen thanks to skipper being prepared

Marine Rescue came to the aid of two fishermen stranded almost 19 km off the Shellharbour coast. Photo: Marine Rescue NSW.

A Saturday morning fishing trip off Shellharbour ended with emergency services called in to rescue two fishermen stranded almost 19 km off the coast.

Marine Rescue NSW has praised the skipper for logging on with the organisation before setting out, saying it enabled rescue crews to quickly locate the stricken vessel.

Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said radio operators at Port Kembla’s Hill 60 base received a call for assistance from the skipper just before 8:30 am on Saturday (10 August).

“The skipper of a 6-metre open runabout was quite distressed after his vessel suffered engine failure offshore,” Insp Massey said.

Marine Rescue NSW vessel Shellharbour 30 was sent to assist the two men, arriving about 40 minutes after the call for help.

Volunteers checked the welfare of the men before towing the boat back to Shellharbour Marina.

Insp Massey said the crew was able to perform a rapid response because the skipper of the disabled vessel had logged on with Marine Rescue NSW.

“Logging On saves vital time in the event of an emergency and can be done in a minute either by the free Marine Rescue NSW app or VHF channel 16,” he said.