Dubai: Dubai Police have rescued a Spanish family after their yacht broke down near a rock breaker off Jumeirha coast.
The yacht stopped due to a technical glitch but the swift response by the police’s maritime rescue patrols prevented the yacht from drifting and colliding into the rock breaker despite the strong sea currents and high waves.
Distress call
According to Colonel Dr Hassan Suhail Al Suwaidi, Director of Ports Police Station, the Command-and-Control Centre at Dubai Police received a distress call from the Spanish family as their yacht broke down at the sea. "The Station, which has across nine marine points across in Dubai, immediately responded to the call and handled the situation with extreme finesse and professionalism", he confirmed.
Al Suwaidi explained that the rapid response of Dubai Police rescue teams contributed to saving the lives of the Spanish family by preventing their yacht from drifting uncontrollably towards the rock breaker.
Strong currents
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Abdullah Al Naqbi, Head of the Maritime Rescue Department at the Ports Police Station, said the maritime rescue patrols were immediately dispatched to the yacht coordinates which was being hit by the high wave and strong currents thus endangering the lives of the six-member family, including children, on board.
Al Naqbi said their top priority was to secure the family whose yacht had broken down where currents might have caused it to drift and crash into a nearby rock breaker.
“Our teams helped the family transfer to a rescue boat and provided them with life jackets before they were transferred to safety ashore,” “We then towed the broken-down yacht out of the sea onto the port,” he added.
Family lauds swift response
Meanwhile, the Spanish family thanked Dubai Police for the speedy action and rescuing them and maintaining their safety. They pointed out that rescue teams reached their location in less than five minutes.
'Sail Safely' service
Dubai Police urged owners of boats, ships and yachts to take advantage of the ‘Sail Safely’ service through the smart app of Dubai Police. The ‘Sail Safely’ service via Dubai Police App tracks sea journeys, alerts users to delays during a sea trip, identifies hazards, sends distress messages directly to the Dubai Police and helps with rapid emergency responses.
