P3 Orion diverted from MH370 to respond to emergency signal by fishing vessel

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P3 Orion aircraft was today diverted from its MH370 search to respond to an emergency distress beacon registered to a fishing vessel in the far southern Indian Ocean near Antartica.

A civil jet has been brought in to replace the P3 Orion for the MH370 search.

According to a statement from Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), the distress call was received by its Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC).

“The RCC was unable to establish communications with the vessel and the nature of distress is unknown,” said AMSA.

The RCC is responding to an emergency beacon from a fishing boat near Antarctica. Two planes tasked to the scene. http://t.co/hTytn2pGmi
— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) March 30, 2014

It is unclear whether the emergency distress beacon, located about 3,241 kilometers south west of Perth and 648 kilometres north of the Antarctic mainland, is in any way related to the search for the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) airplane.

The current search area for MH370 is at a much different area, about 1,850 kilometres west of Perth.

Aside from the P3 Orion, a civil jet and air observers have been tasked out of Melbourne to investigate the beacon.

“The P3 is capable of dropping survival equipment,” said AMSA, adding that the planes will take five hours to reach the location.