Media Release

Two rescued, four missing, Port Stephens, NSW

Australian Search and Rescue is this morning coordinating an air and sea search for four people missing from the 15-metre sloop Excalibur near Port Stephens, New South Wales.

Six helicopters, four fixed-wing aircraft and seven surface vessels are searching a 330 square nautical mile (1000 sq km) region east of Port Stephens for two missing men and two missing women from the sloop.

Overnight, two men from the Excalibur were rescued from the water after they activated a distress beacon. Their beacon position was confirmed by satellite at 11pm (AEST) and a search aircraft detected a survivor’s strobe light at 11.49pm (AEST).

The 50,000 tonne Swiss-flagged bulk-carrier Curia was diverted to the life raft position 45 nautical miles north east of Port Stephens and rescued the two survivors at 4 am (AEST) as a fixed wing aircraft circled overhead.

The survivors indicated there were four other people from the Excalibur in the water wearing lifejackets.

The surface vessels being used in this morning’s search include three large merchant ships and the police launches Intrepid, Fearless, Alert and Vigilant.

The weather in the search area is poor with two metre seas and 26 knot north easterly winds.

Further information:

Ben Mitchell 0418 164 901

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