NYK Container Ship Saves Lives in the Atlantic Ocean off North America
April 15, 2005
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) has received notice from its container ship, Sophia Britannia (Gross tonnage 50,500 tons, Captain Misyris Nikolaos) that it was able to save lives in the Atlantic Ocean off North America.
The notice reports that a crewman of the ship found a man and a lifeboat floating separately in rough seas while navigating 85km off North Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean, around noon on April 3, 2005 (local time). This was immediately notified to the US Coast Guards (USCG) and the crewmen began rescue operations. Within an hour and a half, the stranded man was rescued and a second man in the life boat was rescued by a USCG helicopter.
The 41-year-old man rescued by NYK's container ship was a crew member of a fishing boat which had departed the fishing harbor at Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Three men in total were on board who had met stormy weather resulting in them being shipwrecked. The third man was not found in the search which followed. The USCG called off the search and NYK's ship restarted navigation that day.
As the two men rescued were found early, there was no fear of death though the men were slightly wounded. NYK's container ship had been navigating from Savanna Port to Norfolk Port on the East Coast of North America.
[The Sophia Britannia]
| Captain: | Misyris Nikolaos |
| Flag of registry: | Greece |
| Crew: | 25 (Greek, Romanian, Philippine) |
| Gross tonnage: | 50,500 tons |
| Vessel type: | 3,600 TEU* container ship |
**This type of container ship is in service for the 'Asia East Coast Express (AEX)' course, connecting Asian ports with ports on the East Coast of North America via the Suez Canal.