A joint rescue mission coordinated between the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Rescue Coordination Centre (AUMRCC), was successful.
Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt said the Search and Rescue (SAR) mission effectively saved two (2) missing persons in Wewak and eleven (11) missing persons in Kavieng.
Minister Schnaubelt said the SAR operation was conducted in accordance with the Search and Rescue Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NMSA and AUMRCC.
The flight plan for the mission involved a round trip from Cairns, through PNG airspace, and back to Cairns without any intermediate landings in PNG.
The national air navigation services company, Niusky Pacific Ltd (NSPL) played a crucial role in providing necessary air traffic services to the SAR aircraft involved. Even in situations where the SAR aircraft may have temporarily lost radar visibility, NSPL maintained constant radio communication through HF radio links, ensuring continuous coordination and monitoring during the mission.
Addressing recent media reports, the Minister stated that NSPL confirmed that they had received and used the search area Map for the Wewak region. The SAR aircraft conducted a high-altitude flight, enroute to Goroka, as part of the aerial search mission.
The flight plan also covered Rabaul, where the SAR team conducted aerial searches around East New Britain and New Ireland. It was in this region, specifically off the southern tip of Namatanai in New Ireland Province, where the missing individuals and their boat were located.
The Minister emphasized that, even though the SAR certification Rule Part 176 for NSPL is currently pending approval by CASA, they have consistently participated in SAR activities, including alerting and activating necessary air traffic management services, as requested by NMSA during such missions.