PACIFIC CHALLENGER

Allgemeine Informationen

Kurs/Position

Die neuesten Nachrichten

Search for missing fisherman stopped

Police have taken charge of an inquiry into the disappearance of a man from the 'Pacific Challenger' off the coast of Hawke’s Bay, and an active helicopter search has been stood down on the evening of April 2, about 24 hours after the man was reported as going over board at the stern of the vessel, 11 kilometres off Waimārama at around 8 p.m. Police officers were working to gather information on the circumstances and kept working alongside Maritime NZ and Coastguard. Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) had coordinated the search, which included rescue helicopter services from Auckland, Gisborne and Hastings, Coastguard Hawke’s Bay, two NZ Defence Force NH90s and other vessels in the area. The circumstances of how the man ended up overboard were unclear and it was not known if he was wearing a lifejacket.

search for missing crew member

A crew member of the 'Pacific Challenger' went overboard from the fishing vessel and was reported missing on April 1, 2024, at 8.43 p.m. on about 11 kilometers off the Waimārama coast in Hawke's Bay. When the SAR operation started, it was quite misty with a bit of rain, but it has cleared up a lot with a long, gentle sort of swell and clear visibility in the morning of April 2. A mayday alert was being issued every half an hour to alert boaties about the missing person. The Rescue Coordination Centre of Maritime New Zealand mobilized rescue helicopters from Hastings, Gisborne, Auckland and Wellington to conduct searches over the water, and the Defence Force has also sent two NH90 helicopters. Three fishing vessels responded to the distress broadcasts and assisted too. The Coastguard Hawke's Bay provided a vessel and deployed a marker buoy to verify drift conditions in the water for search planning purposes. The coordination centre completed a drift modelling analysis and was continuing to assess conditions.