Serang. The Banten Province search and rescue (SAR) team successfully evacuated three foreign nationals who were rescued by a passing ship en route to China after their yacht broke down west of Cocos Island, Australia.

The three were rescued by the SAMC Transporter after their yacht, Water Music/2BVU5, encountered mechanical issues. The Banten SAR team then evacuated them from the SAMC Transporter.

Head of Operations at the Banten SAR Office, Hairu Amir, said on Wednesday in Serang that the evacuation request was sent via email by the Australian Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) to the National SAR Body (Basarnas) Command Center on Friday.

According to the email, on Sept. 12, the British-flagged yacht Water Music/2BVU5, with three passengers, had problems west of Cocos Island.

The passengers, identified as Steven Foot, 67, Ian Harrison, 29, and Richard Hill, 65, were rescued by the SAMC Transporter, which was heading to Qingdao, China, via the Sunda Strait in Indonesia.

"The three individuals requested to dock in Indonesia and will head to the British Embassy in Jakarta, with an estimated intercept time of 12:30 a.m. Jakarta time on Wednesday," Hairu said.

The Banten SAR Office dispatched a rescue team and mobilized the KN SAR Tetuka vessel to meet the victims at an agreed location on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

The SAR team coordinated with the SAMC Transporter crew and Merak's Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) to monitor the ship’s position.

They arrived at Bandar Bakau Jaya Bojonegara in Serang Regency, where KN SAR Tetuka docked on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. before heading to the intercept point to evacuate the passengers.

The operation concluded at 2:35 a.m. Wednesday when KN SAR Tetuka returned to Bandar Bakau Jaya Dock in Bojonegara.

"The operation was declared complete after the victims were handed over to Cilegon Immigration authorities," Hairu confirmed.

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