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In distress: Sharks have severely battered a catamaran
Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority / AP
In the Coral Sea off Australia's east coast, an inflatable catamaran is in distress due to several shark attacks. The three men on board, two Russians and a Frenchman, were on their way from the South Sea island of Vanuatu to Cairns in the tropical north of Australia, the Australian news agency AAP reported. In the middle of the Coral Sea, a tributary sea of the Pacific, the nine-meter-long boat was suddenly attacked by the predatory fish, which severely damaged both hulls.
When the "Tion" threatened to capsize about 835 kilometers southeast of Cairns, the men made a distress call to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The latter informed a cargo ship that was traveling near the catamaran and dispatched an aircraft. The crew of the ship "Dugong Ace" finally brought the sailors on board and announced that everyone was doing well. The rescued are expected to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday.
Attacked by sharks on the circumnavigation of the world
The three men were on a circumnavigation of the world, according to the AAP report. Several sharks had attacked her boat and severed parts of the hull during the attacks. As a result, the boat was only partially floating above water.
Inflatable mini-catamarans with a few meters in length are popular with sailors, the Australian broadcaster ABC quoted the boat dealer Tim Rice as saying. Most of them are used on lakes as well as for shorter trips between islands. However, he had never heard of a nine-meter-long inflatable catamaran used to cross an ocean before, the expert said. "Something of this size probably has several chambers. So if a shark pierces one of them, such a boat is still buoyant," Rice emphasized.
This probably saved the lives of the occupants. Why the sharks attacked the boat was initially unclear.
lmd/AFP