Crew member missing from bulk carrier Double Delight off Newcastle found alive

Crew member missing from bulk carrier Double Delight off Newcastle found alive
Romy Stephens and Giselle Wakatama 8 Nov 2024 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-08/fisherman-rescues-seafarer-missin...

A recreational fisherman has found a seafarer who had been missing from bulk carrier Double Delight since just before midnight on Thursday night.

Dan Crumlin from the International Transport Federation said the fisherman, coincidentally a doctor, found the man while returning from a day out fishing.

The man, aged in his 20s, was spotted floating in the water off Blacksmith Beach, south of Newcastle, at about 6:30pm on Friday after he went overboard at 11:30pm on Thursday.

Two Marine Rescue NSW vessels were tasked by Police Marine Area Command on Friday to search for the man off the coast of Redhead, about six kilometres north of where he was eventually found.

The man was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment and was being monitored by medical staff under the surveillance of the Australian Border Force.

He is now in a stable condition.

On Friday afternoon the region's rescue helicopter joined the search with assistance from a chopper specialising in defence force rescues.

'Miracle' rescue

Garry Dodd, the regional director of Mission to Seafarers and senior chaplain to the Port of Newcastle, said the man was lucky to have been found.

"It truly is a miracle...It's about a 12-metre jump from the deck — so even that, smashing into the water is in and of itself quite dangerous," he said

"There's a lot of water out there and a lot of space — it might not look very far...but if you have to try and swim it with the currents, it's a challenge."

Double Delight has docked at the Port of Newcastle and is scheduled to depart at 10:20pm on Sunday.

Reverend Canon Dodd said he had offered to speak to the seafarer and would likely connect with the ship's crew today.

"The effect it has on the entire crew — that vessel will sail and one of the team members won't be on it," he said.

"There will be some work done hopefully with the crew today as well to see how they're travelling and what it means to them to be sailing with one less crew member."

On Friday the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it had "tasked the Newcastle-based NSW Water Police and Marine Rescue NSW units, along with the Port Stephens-based Water Police vessel, to assist" with the search.

Inspector Steve Raymond from Marine Rescue NSW said the alarm was raised when the crewman failed to report for duty.

"We just know that the usual crew check found there was one person missing, hadn't reported for duty," he said.

"They've searched the vessel and assumed he was in the water."

Inspector Raymond said conditions were good and that there was "excellent visibility" in the area.