http://www.smh.com.au/world/rescued-after-three-weeks-on-a-leaky-boat-20100907-14zit.html
Rescued after three weeks on a leaky boat Russell Skelton and Adam Carey September 8, 2010 Home and dry ... Benedict Jor is taken aboard the Wangaratta after his three week ordeal, above. LAST night fisherman Benedict Jor finally set foot on dry land again after a dramatic rescue at sea. Mr Jor and the crew of the ANL Wangaratta berthed at Melbourne's docks, where Mr Jor will spend the next two days before the container ship leaves for Sydney, where he will fly back home to his family in PNG. Lost at sea, Benedict Jor survived on coconuts and rain water for three weeks before the crew of the giant container ship spotted his tiny fishing craft drifting in the Saint Andrew Strait off the Papua New Guinea coast. The 20-year-old from the village of Noga near Rabaul had been fishing alone for tuna between two islands when a change in wind and currents swept his boat out to sea. Last night Mr Jor was adjusting to his new surrounds. "It's strange [here]. I've never been to a city like this because I've grown up in a village,'' he said from on board the ship, surrounded by the bright lights of Melbourne. The young fisherman feared he would die at sea after several boats passed by without spotting him, despite his frantic waving. But a break in the rain and a burst of sunshine was enough for the crew of the Wangaratta to detect him. He had been sleeping under a blanket of banana leaves, huddling from the heavy rain, before the ship came into view. His ordeal ended on Thursday when the Wangaratta, en route from China to Melbourne with a cargo of electrical goods, picked him up. He was about 50 nautical miles from the coast when he was sighted by crew members from the deck of the Wangaratta. "I'd like to the thank them for what they have done for me and I thank God for them. I'm very pleased they saved my life," he said. Mr Jor's parents still have no idea of his fate and he has no phone number to reach them on. PNG officials hope Mr Jor could be united with his family by the weekend. Stephen Allaker, captain and master of the Wangaratta, said when Mr Jor was first spotted, there were fears he might not have been alone. "We were initially concerned that we could only see a lone person, but he assured us he had been on his own throughout." The rescue had been a tricky operation that involved turning the fully laden container ship about and then manoeuvring it to within 40 metres of Mr Jor's boat, which had capsized. A lifebuoy attached to a rope was tossed to the young man. "We then pulled him to the ship's ladder," Captain Allaker said. He said Jor was immediately admitted to the ship's hospital where he was treated for hypothermia, dehydration and shock. ''He had a small cut on his left side that cleared up very quickly. Within 24hours, he had made a full recovery.'' Mr Jor said yesterday that he was feeling fine, but anxious to get home after his extraordinary adventure. A spokesman for ANL said Mr Jor had been lucky to have been in the shipping channel in the middle of the day rather than at night when the Wangaratta came across him. The Wangaratta berthed at West Swanson dock in Melbourne Port late last night. Mr Jor will be kept on board until the ship returns to Sydney where he will pass through immigration and be met by PNG consular officials, who will assist in his return home. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: proletar-dig...@yahoogroups.com proletar-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: proletar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
