Shipping vessel rescues 7 missing at sea for two weeks

By JUNIOR UKAHA
SEVEN people, including a little girl, who were lost at sea two weeks ago following bad weather, were rescued by a cargo ship and taken to Alotau in Milne Bay.
Consort Shipping’s vessel mv Gazelle Coast rescued the seven on June, 26 between 7 and 8pm in the waters of Cape Vogel and Nuakata Island.
The vessel was sailing from Lae to Port Moresby when it rescued the victims.
Capt Enos Penea, who piloted the vessel, said they stumbled upon the 23-foot dinghy carrying the seven during rough seas and bad weather around 7pm. “The duty crew noticed a motorised 23-foot dinghy running parallel with the vessel and persons shouting, ‘please help, help! They were lost and needed assistance,” he said.
“I noted a canvas covering personal effects, a girl and other male passengers, the younger male and the girl were kids and I assumed they were students, all soaked wet in rain and exposed to weather,” Penea said.
The victims had departed Alotau then stopped over at East Cape and resumed after 4pm.
They were heading towards Normanby and Fergusson Islands when they lost direction in the bad weather and went off-course.