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Nine Papua New Guinean fisherman are lucky to be alive after being found in the Torres Strait by Australia’s Border Force.
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The fishermen drifted without fuel or food for six days.
The group, which was in a seven-metre Banana Boat, was spotted by a Maritime Border Command (MBC) helicopter on 2 February.
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Fourcroy was tasked to respond and located the vessel at approximately 12:30pm on 2 February. The Cape Fourcroy crew resupplied the vessel with food, water and fuel and they were able to proceed back to PNG under their own steam.
Commander MBC Rear Admiral Peter Laver praised the work of the Cape Fourcroy crew on board.
"While our focus in the Torres Strait is protecting Australia’s waters from maritime security threats, the presence of the dedicated crews of our MBC vessels means we are never far away when emergencies like these occur," RADM Laver said.
"The waters of the Torres Strait can be treacherous and these men are very lucky that MBC located and intercepted them when we did."
MBC is a multi-agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force that maintains a constant presence in the waters off northern Australia, including the Torres Strait. MBC utilises a range of aerial and maritime surveillance and response assets from the ABF and Australian Defence Force.
