On Sunday morning, the Tonga Police alerted New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) about two fishermen overdue between Nuku’alofa and Fonoifua. The boat, which had left Nuku’alofa at 1:30 pm on Saturday, was on a five-hour journey when it capsized near Tau Island.
RCCNZ swiftly provided drift modelling to aid the search and rescue efforts. The fishermen, who are yet to be named, were found alive and well by Tonga Police later that afternoon, having drifted 35 nautical miles (64.8 kilometres) over approximately 20 hours from Tau Island to Ata Island. The drift trajectory was consistent with RCCNZ’s predictions.
RCCNZ Director Peter Williams said, “The collaboration between Tonga Police and our team was crucial in this successful rescue. Our drift modelling played a key role in pinpointing their location.”
The yellow line on the Google Earth screenshot illustrates the fishermen’s intended route, while the red line shows their drift path from Tau Island to Ata Island. This joint effort highlights the importance of international cooperation in maritime rescue operations.
