CONTAINER SHIP RESCUES SAILING FAMILY

NEW YORK, NY (USCG & APL)

On June 9th, the crew of the APL-owned container ship Hyundai Japan braved 25 knot winds and 15 foot waves to rescue a German family of four, including a five-year old and 18-month old, from the clutches of the Atlantic Ocean 1,600 miles from New York City.

The Hyundai Japan, a Singapore flagged vessel and participant in the Amver system on long term charter from APL to Hyundai, overheard a distress call from the family aboard their 35 foot sailboat Dally On. The family was sailing from Antigua to the Azores when their boat was demasted and lost its rudder in a severe storm.

“They were in dire straits, so I said ‘I’m coming,’” explained Captain Parvez Guard, a 28-year veteran of APL and captain of the massive container ship.

While it took three tries, Captain Guard was able to bring his 980-foot ship alongside the stricken sailboat. Thirty-seven-year-old crewmember Anthony Gomez-Stalin then scrambled down a pilot’s ladder from the APL ship to the yacht. He snatched the 18-month old infant in his arm and carried her up the ladder to safety. The other family members followed one-after-the-other until all four were aboard the APL vessel safe and unhurt. Within an hour of receiving the first distress call the survivors were safely aboard the Hyundai Japan and Captain Guard was steaming towards New York harbor.

United States Coast Guard representatives were on hand as the Hyundai Japan pulled into port and gave a special commendation to Captain Guard and his crew for their efforts. “The crew acted in such a way as to ensure no call for help goes unanswered,” said Coast Guard Captain John Healey in presenting the commendation to APL. “On behalf of the United States Coast Guard we thank you for your outstanding seamanship and unwavering commitment to safety of life at sea."

Amver, sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, is a unique, computer-based, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. With Amver, rescue coordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond. Prior to sailing, participating ships send a sail plan to the Amver computer center. Vessels then report every 48 hours until arriving at their port of call.

This data is able to project the position of each ship at any point during its voyage. In an emergency, any rescue coordination center can request this data to determine the relative position of Amver ships near the distress location. On any given day there are over 3,200 ships available to carry out search and rescue services. To learn more about this unique worldwide search and rescue system, visit http://www.amver.com/.

About APL
APL is a global container shipping business offering more than 60 weekly services and nearly 300 calls at more than 90 ports in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. It combines world-class intermodal operations with leading-edge IT and e-commerce. APL is a unit of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, a global shipping, terminals and logistics company. APL Web site: http://www.apl.com/

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