Dog left on crippled Indonesian tanker rescued after 19 days

HONOLULU -- A fishing crew rescued a dog Sunday from an abandoned tanker where it had been adrift for 19 days, Humane Society officials said.

Martha Armstrong, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, said the crew was onboard the Insiko 1907 and planned to bring Forgea back to Honolulu with them when they return next week from fishing.

"They were trying to calm her down," she said. "She's been without company for 19 days, with several flyovers, she's probably really excited."

Pamela Burns, president of the Hawaiian Humane Society, said the white mixed-breed terrier was doing well.

"It is walking and running around, but it's quite scared," Burns said.

The crew of a Coast Guard plane dropped their lunches to the tanker Saturday after the 40-pound dog was seen running around the deck.

The Coast Guard had been searching for the Insiko to determine if it posed an environmental hazard to Johnston Island, about 825 miles southwest of Honolulu, Petty Officer David Mosley said. The crew of the C130 spotted it 250 miles east of Johnston, and the Coast Guard notified a salvage company.

The Indonesian tanker was disabled by a fatal fire March 13 that killed one crewman and cut off power and communications.

The crew was rescued April 2 by a cruise liner south of Hawaii, but the 2-year-old dog, which belonged to the captain, was left aboard.

Trouble finding ship

The Hawaiian Humane Society quickly mounted a $50,000 rescue effort for Forgea, but the air-and-sea search ended April 7 when the tanker couldn't be found.

A fishing vessel spotted the ship again April 12, and the society contacted another fishing boat in hopes of saving the dog, but the crew couldn't find the tanker.

After the spotting Saturday, Lt. j.g. Mia Dutcher said the Coast Guard reported the tanker's position to American Marine Corp., the salvage company the society hired to find the ship and rescue the dog.

American Marine directed a fishing vessel and a tug and barge about 80 miles away to go to the area, Dutcher said.

The captain of the ship and an injured crewman flew home to Taiwan on April 6.