PHILIPSBURG – The Coast Guard on Tuesday morning a report that a vessel at sea between Sint Maarten and Saba was making water with probably 2 people on board. The captain of the vessel reported that his boat had engine trouble.

The RCC of the Caribbean Coast Guard, which was in contact with the rescue and coordination center in Martinique, then received a request from Martinique to rescue the people on board because the vessel was no longer safe.

Cutter

At Martinique’s request, the Coast Guard sent out the cutter Poema to help the people on board. The captain of the vessel also reported that there were no rescue equipment on board and that help was needed quickly.

The cutter Poema immediately sailed towards Saba to assist those on board. Upon arrival at the site, Puma’s crew saw that the craft was in tow by a smaller boat that had offered assistance.

Illegal

The Poema has taken over the tow-rope of the auxiliary boat to tow the vessel to Sint Maarten. Upon further investigation, it turned out that 27 people, presumably undocumented migrants, were on board the vessel. All persons on board and the captain have been handed over to the KPSM and the Immigration Service of Sint Maarten for further investigation.