NT search finds missing boat at Bathurst Island

Ian Badham
2nd June 2009, 12:00am

A search for a missing fishing boat ended safely when CareFlight located the vessel at Bathurst Island, north of Darwin, this afternoon.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority called out the CareFlight helicopter which is stationed at Darwin to provide medical and rescue support to the NT Government.

It took the CareFlight crew just over an hour to find the eight-metre boat which was reported to AMSA as being 24 hours overdue.

Chief air crewman Daniel Warring said the boat was found at 4.15 pm (Darwin time) where it was tied up at Port Hurd, on the north-west side of Bathurst Island.

The four occupants of the boat did not realise they had been reported missing.

The helicopter landed at a small village near the boat and confirmed that all occupants were safe and well, then contacted AMSA in Canberra to end the search.

The successful mission continued CareFlight’s record of conducting search, medical and rescue missions since the charity based one of its helicopters in Darwin in late December to support rescue authorities and the NT Government.

Since 2006 CareFlight also has based one of its jet air ambulance aircraft, with a duty doctor and nurse, in Darwin as part of its national medical network which includes jets located in Perth, Cairns and Darwin.

For further information please call NRMA CareFlight director Ian Badham on 0418 245 748.