Two fishermen were saved in a lengthy late-night rescue after their vessel became disabled off Port Kembla.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The men were fishing from a 6.5 metre boat around 35 nautical miles (65 kilometres) off the coast on Tuesday when the steering broke on their boat.
A radio call for help was received just after 3pm and this lead to an eight-hour rescue operation.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said the disabled vessel was a long way off the coast.
"After assessing the location of the disabled vessel we contacted [Police] Marine Area Command who advised they had a vessel in the vicinity of the fishermen," he said.
Water police crews towed the boat close to Wollongong, with Marine Rescue crews bringing the vessel into Wollongong Harbour at 11.30pm.
"Rescue crews were fortunate that conditions were benign allowing the response to run smoothly and safely," Insp Massey said.
"The distance involved and disappearing light made the initial part of the rescue challenging."
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Nadine Morton
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
