The 2009 IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea have been presented to a professional rescue swimmer who, in Arctic conditions, single-handedly rescued eight crew members of a foundered vessel in the Bering Sea, and to two amateur sailors who rescued three people from a sunken yacht in very heavy weather off a remote South Pacific coral reef. In a linked ceremony,

Certificates for Exceptional Services Rendered to Shipping and Mankind
were presented to the commanding officers and members of the the ships
of naval from EU and NATO member countries and several other individual
countries from various regions which have participated in the
international efforts to repress piracy off the coast of Somalia and in
the Gulf of Aden. In the early hours of 23 March 2008, in Arctic
weather conditions, US Coast Guard member Abram Heller single-handedly
rescued eight crew members of the foundered fishing vessel Alaska
Ranger. Having plunged into the waters to rescue survivors, he then
gave up his place in the rescue helicopter to enable five rescuees to
be taken to safety and waited on a liferaft for over one hour for the
return of the helicopter, with three further rescuees whom he had
pulled into it. In so doing, he was deemed to have acted over and above
the standard expected of a professional rescuer, particularly on his
first deployment.

Maurice Conti and his wife Sophie were sailing their yacht Ocealys in
the South Pacific with their young family when they heard a late night
distress call from the yacht Timella, which had struck a reef, two and
a half hours sailing time away. The Contis made contact with
authorities in New Zealand and Fiji but, in the absence of marine or
aviation rescue assets being immediately available, they planned and
executed themselves the rescue of the three Timella crew members, in
the early morning of 13 October 2008, exposing themselves to
considerable risk.

Source: Maritime Global Net

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• Boat disaster a mystery

     (stuff.co.nz)  Two veterans of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race were killed and 16 crew members had to be rescued yesterday after a multimillion-dollar maxi yacht ran aground off the NSW South Coast.  Source

• LNG Carrier receives commendation for rescue organizations

    Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd

• Third, super-yacht management contract for Bibby

    Bibby Ship Management’s Isle of Man division has landed a contract to manage and supply crew to a third Isle of Man registered super yacht. A total of 17 crew members are employed on the yacht for voyages around the… Read at Third super yacht management contract for Bibby

• Two crew members rescued dismasted yacht

     (yachtingmonthly) Two crew members have been taken off the yacht California which was dismasted in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race on the leg from Qingdao, China to San Francisco, USA, the 180-meter Danish registered tanker, Nord Nightingale, arrived to transfer injured crew member Clive Cockram on

• Sunken ship may not be restored

     (UKPA) An Irish racing yacht that sank in Indonesian waters prompting a dramatic rescue of 16 crew members cannot be recovered from the depths, race organisers have said.The Cork Clipper, which was taking part in the Clipper round the world contest, went down earlier this week when it was

• Lifeboats rescue as yacht sinks Duo

     (Clacton)  LIFEBOAT crews saved two people from a yacht which run aground eight miles off Clacton.  Vessels from Clacton and Walton, as well as a rescue helicopter from Belgium, helped recover the yachtsmen from their yacht, Rhubarb.  Source

• Yacht couple rescued by lifeboats

     (BBC) A couple in their 60s had to be rescued by lifeboats from Sheerness and Whitstable in Kent after the man fell overboard from their yacht.  Source

• Students rescued from Brazil coast back on dry land

     (Vancouver Sun) At least a dozen students and crew members rescued from a Canadian tallship that sank off the coast of Brazil were back on dry land Saturdayafter spending the better part of two days clinging to life rafts inrough seas. Source

• China vs Somali pirates again!

    Somalian pirates have struck again! The unfortunate victims this time are 19 Chinese on board a Singapore-flagged cargo ship called The Golden Blessing.

• UK Diving Center emphasizes the importance of marine distress signals

    A UK diving centre has stressed the importance of marine distress signals after they played a vital part in a coastal rescue. A group of ten divers and two crew was rescued when the Aquanaut, a 40ft. Nelson boat, sank off the coast of Salcombe, Devon, in July. All were