Three men on board an inflatable catamaran were pulled from the sea in the early hours of Wednesday after “several shark attacks” left their vessel partially sunken off the Australian northeastern coast.

Two Russians and one French national, ages 28 to 63, were on board the boat as it traveled from Vanuatu to the northeastern city of Cairns, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement.

The 9-meter (30-foot) Russian-registered vessel appeared to run into trouble when sharks attacked its inflatable hulls.

“Both hulls of the vessel have been damaged following several shark attacks,” AMSA said in the statement.

After receiving a distress call at 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, AMSA requested the assistance of Panama-flagged vehicle carrier Dugong Ace, which carried out the rescue operation around 835 kilometers (520 miles) southeast of Cairns in the Coral Sea.

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