Some tense moments played out off the coast of St. John’s early this morning.

Around 1:00 a.m., the Canadian Coast Guard received a MAYDAY broadcast from the fishing vessel the Gypsy Mariner, which was taking on water about 60 nautical miles off St. John’s.

The coast guard directed all vessels in the area to go to the scene, two aircrafts were also sent. The supply vessels Atlantic Griffon and Atlantic Shrike arrived first, along with a Canadian Forces Hercules aircraft.

The Atlantic Griffon was able to pull all seven crew members and two dogs from the Gypsy Mariner around 5:30 a.m., four hours after the MAYDAY call. The crew arrived safely in St. John’s this morning.

The Coast Guard remains on the scene to assess the pollution threat posed by the vessel.