Seaways-Kenosha

The US Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 crew members of the Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel 'La Pena' (IMO: 8134651), which had caught fire approximately 500 miles north-northwest of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, on Jan 31, 2026. At 3:51 p.m. PST the RCC Alameda received a notification from the Garmin SAR Command Center of an distress call from the vessel. Using a crew member’s satellite messaging device, Coast Guard watchstanders established communications with the crew and confirmed the vessel had caught fire and sank. All crew members abandoned ship with the rescue boat. The crew reported they had no life jackets, food or water aboard the boat. Their only means of communication was the satellite device, which had approximately 37 % battery life remaining, or about 12 hours of use. The survivors were placed on a 90-minute communication schedule to provide position updates, answer questions and then power off the device to conserve battery. The RCC in Alameda issued SafetyNet and SafetyCAST broadcasts to alert nearby ships and request assistance. There were no Coast Guard surface or air assets in the immediate vicinity. An AMVER query identified two vessels within 115 miles and 13 vessels within 575 miles of the distress position. Coast Guard watchstanders contacted the vessels and received a response from the 'Seaways Kenosha', which was located approximately 100 miles from the scene, enroute from Vancouver to La Pampilla, offering to assist. Coast Guard watchstanders began coordinating the 'Seaways Kenosha’s response to rescue the survivors. On Feb 1, at approximately 3:30 a.m. PST, the ship arrived on scene and safely recovered all 27 people from the rescue boat. The Coast Guard’s National Command Center continued to monitor the situation. Plans to transfer the survivors to shore were being coordinated. The weather on scene was reported as 5-foot seas and 10-knot winds. Following the successful rescue, a planned HC-130 deployment from Air Station Sacramento to deliver supplies to the mariners was stood down. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4394738/coast-guard-coordinates-rescue-of-27-mariners-from-burning-fishing-vessel-483-m/