A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Poseidon crew has found three Fijian fishers nine days after they were reported missing.
The fishers left Lautoka in their 8.5m wooden fishing boat Lewa.
They had plans to go fishing for up to two weeks at Nanuya Island, 78km north of Lautoka in the Yasawa group.
The last known contact with Lewa was on October 2, when they reported engine issues.
On board, the crew carried life jackets and flares, but had no locator beacons or communications equipment other than a mobile phone which was believed to have run out of battery.
The RNZAF Poseidon crew launched its radar and visual search on Wednesday morning after a request from the Fiji Rescue Coordination Centre.
Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre said that the team provided location data that gave the Poseidon crew the highest probability of finding the Lewa.
Manager of operations Michael Clulow said that the search area was identified through a detailed analysis that included data from nine days of oceanic currents and weather.
“The search area was large due to the amount of time the fishing boat had been drifting, but we were able to provide the P-8A crew an area to search, which is where the vessel was found.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the Poseidon crew found the fishing boat, contacting nearby vessels to support the rescue and remaining in the vicinity until a rescue vessel was close enough.
Air commodore Andy Scott said that it was a challenging search over a large area, but that the "excellent search data" from Maritime New Zealand and the fisher's preparedness led to the successful outcome.
"The P-8 is proving itself a highly effective and responsive asset to support the people of New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours, and was no doubt an incredibly welcome sight for the people on board the fishing vessel."
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