The search and rescue operation began after the Colombian Navy received an alert by the National Police about the call of a fisherman who was drifting approximately 26 kilometers south of the island of San Andrés, in the area known as Martínez Bank.
Immediately, the Traffic Control and Maritime Surveillance System of the Maritime General Directorate - DIMAR, detected through its radars a positive contact in the search area. Once this information was received, a Rapid Reaction Unit - URR was deployed, which found the ship named Three Brothers with two crew members on board, who said they had had engine failures; a situation that prevented them from staying on the course.
It should be noted that thanks to the call for help that one of the fishermen made through an emergency line, it was possible to conduct the search and rescue operation in a timely manner, since at sea. It must be seen that due to currents and winds, an ungoverned ship can drift several kilometers in a short time, making it difficult to find and rescue it, so informing the emergency and providing support in the case in the shortest possible time, is one of the main success factors in search and rescue operations at sea. After the rescue, the two fishermen and their boat were directed to a safe harbor at the Coast Guard Station of San Andrés.
The Colombian Navy, through the Specific Command of San Andrés and Providencia, calls on the island people to take extreme safety measures when going to sea and to comply with the recommendations issued by the Colombian Navy and the General Maritime Directorate - DIMAR, since they are conceived for the protection of the life of sea users. It in the same way recommend the use of the Coast Guard emergency telephone line 146 and the Navy VHF channel 16.
Source: Press Navy of Colombia
