Three men on an inflatable catamaran were pulled from the sea on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, after “several shark attacks” left their boat partially submerged off the northeast coast of Australia.

Two Russians and a French national, aged 28 to 63, were on board the vessel as it traveled from Vanuatu to the northeastern city of Cairns, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement.

The 30-foot-long, Russian-registered boat appeared to be in trouble after being attacked by sharks.

Satellite photos and a video available on AMSA’s website show a significant portion of the catamaran’s stern had been severed by the shark attacks.

“The sailors were very lucky because they had an emergency beacon with them, which allowed us to quickly proceed with the rescue operation. They were well prepared, calm, but of course anxious until we rescued themsaid Joseph Zeller, a member of the AMSA rescue team.

The nine-metre-long catamaran, named ‘Tion’, was registered in Russia and according to the Russian Geographical Society, it circumnavigated the globe as part of celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian explorers, the Australian reported. ABC network. Amsa announced that it had requested the assistance of a floating cargo ship and sent an aircraft to the scene for the rescue operation. The men are expected to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday morning, AMSA said.