Sharks launch vicious attack on catamaran with crew lucky to be alive
A watercraft was shredded into pieces by sharks as three men onboard had to escape to a shipping vessel after activating an SOS signal
Reuters
A watercraft was shredded into pieces by sharks this week as three men onboard had to escape to a shipping vessel after activating an SOS signal.
The catamaran, which was re-enacting the voyage of a 19th century Russian adventurer, was sailing from Vanuatu to Cairns when both of the boat’s hulls were damaged during “several shark attacks”.
The explorers said the sharks hit the vessel 519 miles off the Australian coast, southeast of Cairns in the Coral Sea.
Two Russians and a Frenchman were onboard the boat which was first attacked on September 4.
Two Russians and a Frenchman were onboard the boat which was first attacked on September 4
Reuters
The expedition, named the Russian Ocean Way, came to an end the following day, when their boat was again set upon by sharks - causing it to sink.
Images of the vessel submerging under water were captured by a rescue plane sent by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
The AMSA then alerted the Panama-registered car carrier, Dugong Ace, which was 30 nautical miles away.
Following the shark attacks, the three sailors were rescued several hours later with the help of a long boarding ladder over the side of the boats.
Joe Zeller, the acting manager of the AMSA Response Centre said: “There’s many reasons why vessels are attacked by sharks. However, the motivations of these sharks are unclear."
He added that the three men “were very happy to be rescued and they are all healthy and well and aboard the Dugong Ace”.
The ship is expected to dock in Brisbane on Thursday and was two-thirds into a three year re-enactment voyage.
The men were "extraordinarily lucky, given that a large section of the right aft had been lost", a spokesperson for the AMSA said.
Following the shark attacks, the three sailors were rescued several hours later
Reuters
A large population of reef sharks can be found in the Coral Sea.
However, there are no previous records of shark attacks in this area of the Coral Sea which is 500 miles off the coast of eastern Australia.
It is estimated that 52 different species of deepwater sharks and rays are in the area.