3 Individuals Adrift Off Ecuador Were Rescued After 2 Weeks At Sea

A P-3 Long Range Tracker (LRT) aircrew with the CBP AMO National Air Security Operations Center (NASOC) partnered with federal and international authorities to rescue three distressed Panamanian nationals who had been adrift at sea for more than two weeks on Monday, February 15, 2021.

The aircrew responded to a call about distressed occupants on a disabled 20-foot panga-style fishing vessel hundreds of miles off the coast of Ecuador. The P-3 LRT crew consisted of AMO personnel and three of their counterparts from the counter-narcotics forces of the Government of Ecuador.

After the location of the three panga occupants was established, an Ecuadorian aircrew member exchanged radio communications in Spanish with the captain of a nearby fishing vessel and translated all communications into English for the AMO aircrew and U.S. Coast Guard counterparts.

The P-3 LRT aircrew guided the fishing vessel to the location of the distressed panga where they rescued the occupants. Interviews revealed the individuals had been adrift at sea for at least two weeks due to a malfunctioning motor.

Ecuadorian aircrew members gathered information from the rescued individuals to facilitate notification of their families. Ecuadorian crewmembers served crucial roles in keeping the individuals who had been lost at sea and the rescuing fishing vessel crew calm and focused throughout the challenging operation. The P-3 crew passed port information to USCG District 11 partners.

AMO has two P-3 NASOCs located in Jacksonville, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas. These P-3 aircraft operate throughout North, Central and South America in defense of the borders of the United States and to prevent attempts to smuggle persons or contraband.

FMI: www.CBP.gov