06-17-2010

McMurdo EPIRB alerts Abby Sunderland’s rescuers

Portsmouth 17-06-10 – McMurdo Ltd, a company of the Orolia Group (NYSE Alternext Paris – FR0010501015 – ALORO) announces today that the EPIRB used by 16 year old Abby Sunderland to alert rescuers to her plight in the Indian Ocean during an attempted solo circumnavigation was manufactured by McMurdo Ltd.

The McMurdo Precision 406 GPS EPIRB, which was replaced by the McMurdo SMARTFIND Plus in 2006, was activated by Abby, who was aiming to be the youngest person to sail solo non-stop around the world, after her Open 40 yacht Wild Eyes was dismasted in a 60 knot tropical storm in the southern Indian Ocean.

The McMurdo EPIRB, a 406 MHz emergency distress beacon, was activated just before 6am on the morning of 10^th June. Its signal was relayed via the international COSPAS SARSAT satellite system back to the US where the EPIRB had been registered, where search and rescue agencies rapidly mounted a rescue mission.

At the time of Abby’s dismasting the nearest land was Reunion Island, east of Madagascar and the nearest ship was 400 miles away.

Abby had already lost contact with her shore team, was unable to use even the satellite phone and was at one point feared lost at sea, according to reports. However, the McMurdo EPIRB signal ensured that the rescue plan was quickly underway. She was located by an Australian Search and Rescue teams which chartered a Qantas passenger jet, and diverted a French fishing boat to her position. Apart from the dismasting, the yacht was sound and Abby was not injured.

“Once again an incident of this type confirms how vital it is never to be in a remote region, whether at land or sea without an emergency 406 beacon like the SMARTFIND EPIRB” comments McMurdo Ltd CEO Jeremy Harrison. “We are very relieved that Abby was located safely”.

Attached picture: SMARTFIND G5 EPIRB with GPS, the current model of the EPIRB used by Abby Sunderland

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