CMA CGM Ship Rescues Four After Yacht Strikes Whale

A CMA CGM subsidiary vessel rescued four people from a sinking yacht that struck a whale about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.

The 51-foot Australian-flagged yacht Tai Tam hit a whale on 27 September 2026, causing serious damage and leaving her sinking. The four crew activated their EPIRB and boarded a life raft.

RNZAF search and rescue crew aboard a P-8A Poseidon located the survivors. The Sofrana Surville, a 143-metre cargo vessel operated by Sofrana (a CMA CGM subsidiary), was in the area and diverted, picking all four safely from their life raft. All were reported uninjured.

Commercial ships are often the fastest response in remote ocean areas, where dedicated rescue vessels can take many hours to arrive. In stretches of the South Pacific this far from land, a merchant hull nearby makes the difference between a bad day and a tragedy.

CMA CGM's fleet has faced other incidents recently. The group declared general average on the Petra after a cargo fire in the Malacca Strait, a separate event that shows the range of emergencies spanning the group's global operations: CMA CGM Petra general average after Malacca fire.