Update: 'Rabaul Queen' sinking - 238 now rescued

AUSTRALIAN MARINE SAFETY AUTHORITY/ABC/AAP/SOURCES

1945 - AMSA continues to provide assistance to the PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in coordinating search efforts. Eight merchant vessels remain on scene and have reported that 238 survivors have been recovered by five of the ships. It is expected that the five ships will passage towards Lae overnight. Arrangements for transferring survivors will be made by PNG authorities.

1920 - The most recent number of survivors of the Rabaul Queen tragedy is 220.

1640 - "Our hearts go out to those affected by the sinking of the MV Rabaul Queen," Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says. “I spoke to my counterpart, PNG Foreign Minister Ano Pala, to inform him that Australia stands ready to offer all necessary assistance."

1615 – The ABC reports that 193 survivors have now been rescued by 8 vessels on the scene supported by 3 helicopters.  More people are visible in life rafts. The passengers were mainly students and teachers returning for the start of the new school year.  Search and rescue planes are now in operation over the site. Weather conditions are described as reasonable.

1610 - Australian prime minister Julia Gillard says there is likely to be a very high death toll from the sinking of the Rabaul Queen. "There has been a boat go down in PNG with, as we understand it, 350 people on board," Ms Gillard told reporters in Melbourne. "This is obviously a major tragedy. We have been asked to provide assistance to PNG and we are providing assistance to PNG."

1600 - [Maritime Matters] The 1983-built passenger/cargo ship MV Rabaul Queen, with a gross tonnage 259 flagged in Papua New Guinea is believed to have sunk in bad weather with as many as 350 people on board. The operators Star Ships said it lost contact with the vessel at about 6AM on Thursday while enroute between Kimbe and Lae. A distress signal was sent by the ship.

PNG’s National Maritime Safety Authority said the ship had capsized but it was awaiting more details from officials on the site. “We don’t have any accurate information as yet, a search and rescue team went out early this morning but they haven’t got back to us yet,” a spokeswoman said.

Star Ships added that some survivors have been found, one report said that at least 28 passengers has been rescued [now confirmed as 50], while many more were in the water in life jackets at this time.

1545 - It is reported that 28 people have been rescued from the water.  These people are now aboard one vessel. Authorities are not able to confirm how many people were on the Rabaul Queen other than to say the complement was "probably around 300".

1430 - The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is currently providing assistance to the Papua New Guinea Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre which is coordinating a rescue involving a passenger vessel, the MV Rabaul Queen.

The vessel is reported to have sunk approximately 16 km off Finschhafen while on a voyage from Kimbe to Lae. There are believed to be 350 people on board.

At 07:25am AEDT today, AMSA’s Rescue Coordination Centre received an initial satellite detection of a distress beacon belonging to the passenger vessel MV Rabaul Queen. This information was immediately communicated to the PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

AMSA consequently broadcast a message to shipping in the area and requested shipping to advise of their ability to respond and estimated time of arrival. A number of vessels responded and six merchant vessels are currently on scene, four of which are recovering survivors.

In addition, three local helicopters are on scene searching for survivors and relaying location details to the vessels.

The master of one of the vessels, the Mol Summer, has been appointed on scene coordinator and has reported that approximately 50 people have been rescued so far.

AMSA’s dedicated search and rescue Dornier aircraft based in Cairns has now arrived on scene. The Dornier has multiple life rafts on board and the capability to drop them to survivors in the water.

Further fixed wing aviation search assets have also been tasked by AMSA, including an Australian Defence Force PC3 Orion aircraft (due on scene at approximately 4pm AEDT) and AMSA’s Darwin-based Dornier (due on scene later this afternoon). Both of these assets are capable of aerial stores delivery including life rafts.

AMSA is further assisting the PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre by providing search area planning and drift modelling.

AMSA and the Australian Government Crisis Coordination Centre are working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby.

Earlier reports of fine weather conditions have been contradicted by vessels on scene. There are currently strong north-westerly winds at 40kts, and a five-metre sea swell.

Two dedicated AMSA search and rescue Dornier aircraft will remain in PNG overnight.

Details of Friday’s search are yet to be determined by PNG MRCC but it is expected that air and surface searches will be ongoing. Four AMSA search and rescue personnel are currently en route to PNG to provide further assistance to the coordinating authority. They are due to arrive late this evening.

Comments

[Peter Kranz]

I would have thought this would have been front page news for the local papers.

But The National is running with "2nd bid to oust CJ Injia fails" on its cover.

They seem to have only three stories of the tragedy and these relegated to the middle section.

[Peter Kranz]

246 now rescued, reported by Ian Kemish on ABC News.

Some PNG reports state that the Rabaul Queen was only licensed for 300 passengers, but there may have been 350 plus 16 crew on board at the time of the disaster.

Owners Rabaul Shipping have shut up shop in Lae.

[Peter Kranz]

There is confusion about the number of passengers that were on board, with estimates running between 260 and 350. This has been made worse by lack of information from the owners about the passenger manifest.

Police say the owners of the ferry are also yet to provide them with a reason why it ran into trouble.

"It's pretty frustrating on the side of the rescuers because they need [that] information while they are conducting their rescue," Senior Inspector Samson Siguyaru said in Kimbe.

Last night locals stoned the office of Rabaul Shipping, angry at the lack of information.

"There were a lot of people crying and then they wanted to know the fate of their loved ones, the people actually who were on board the Rabaul ship," Inspector Siguyaru said.

"I had to send in the police to rescue [the staff], get them out of the office to a location where it is safe for them.

"But before they went there I brought them to the station to get some information on this ship and the passengers. Unfortunately I was unable to collect any manifest."

[Joe Kua]

Tears welled in my eyes as I read about the tragedy and efforts being made from our own people and friends downunder to rescue those floating in the sea. God bless you all and thankyou.

[Peter Kranz]

With the information currently available, and while this is still a terrible tragedy, the rescue success so far seems to be an amazing example of swift and appropriate cooperation between PNG and Australia.

We all hope there will be many more survivors rescued, and God bless all those involved.

[Brian Beamish]

Such a wonderful people. May God be with them all at this time and those undertaking the rescue.