The U.S. Coast Guard joined forces with local mariners Friday to help rescue 24 people stranded aboard a 56-foot disabled passenger ferry east of Littlejohn Island, which is part of the town of Yarmouth.
The rescue operation was launched about 10:30 a.m., when a crew member aboard the ferry Pied Piper notified the Coast Guard that the vessel was disabled, unable to hold anchor and drifting toward shore, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
A 47-foot lifeboat and 29-foot response boat and crews from Coast Guard Station South Portland already were out for training exercises and were diverted to assist the ferry passengers. The Coast Guard also issued an urgent marine broadcast requesting assistance from nearby vessels.
A good Samaritan aboard a vessel from Chebeague Island Boat Yard who heard the broadcast traveled to the area and took the Pied Piper in tow. The Coast Guard response boats then escorted the good Samaritan and disabled ferry to the pier.
The crew of the fishing vessel Retriever also turned out to offer assistance.
“Working at sea is a very unpredictable environment,” said Lt. Scott McCann, command center chief at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. “The one thing we can predict is how responsive and supportive our maritime partners are here in northern New England.”
McCann said the Coast Guard takes all disabled vessels very seriously. As a precaution, the Coast Guard inspected the ferry before clearing it for continued passenger operations.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.