Daring T8 helicopter rescue saves sinking ship's crew near Hong Kong
A daring nighttime helicopter rescue saved the crew of a sinking cargo vessel from 10-metre waves near Hong Kong as the typhoon signal No 8 was in force yesterday.
A daring nighttime helicopter rescue saved the crew of a sinking cargo ship from 10-metre waves near Hong Kong as the typhoon signal No 8 was in force in the early hours of Tuesday.
The rescue operation was mounted at about 1am as the 96-metre-long cargo ship, the Hao Jun, lost power in Chinese waters about 20km southwest of Macau.
The ship’s master ordered the 13 other crew members to abandon ship as it was taking on water and in danger of sinking, according to the Government Flying Service.
The Observatory raised the No 8 signal at 10.30pm as Typhoon Kalmaegi barrelled towards Guangdong and Hainan island, bringing with it gusts of up to 166km/h.
A Super Puma helicopter was dispatched to rescue the crew after Guangdong maritime rescue authorities sought help from their Hong Kong counterparts.
The Government Flying Service said the mainland-registered ship was battered by “10-metre waves”, while gusts of over 100 km/h also made plucking the sailors from the ship and winching them to safety even more difficult.
“The winching conditions were extremely challenging with the rough sea causing the vessel to move violently,” the service said.