[File Photo]

A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon crew has found three Fijian fishers nine days after they were reported missing aboard their 8.5-metre wooden fishing boat.

The fishers, aboard the Lewa, left Lautoka planning to go fishing at Nanuya Island in the Yasawa group for up to two weeks.

The last known contact was on 2nd October, when they reported engine issues.

They were carrying life jackets and flares but had no locator beacons or communications equipment other than a mobile phone, which was believed to have run out of battery.

Another fishing boat searched for the Lewa over several days but this search, in poor weather conditions, was unsuccessful.

The Poseidon crew launched its search after the Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji requested assistance.

Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre manager of operations, Michael Clulow, says his team provided location data that gave the Poseidon crew the highest probability of finding the missing crew.

The Poseidon crew began the radar and visual search on Wednesday morning and found the fishing boat in the afternoon.

They contacted nearby vessels for assistance in rescuing the fishermen from the Lewa, and remained in the vicinity until a rescue vessel was close enough for them to be rescued.