Three sailors have been rescued in the Coral Sea after their inflatable boat came under attack from sharks.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority responded to an emergency distress call at 1.30am on Wednesday for the nine-metre catamaran Tion, about 800 kilometres south-east of Cairns.

The two Russian men and a French man aboard the vessel had left Vanuatu on their way to Cairns when their boat began to sink following damage to both hulls from repeated shark attacks, the authority said.

Cargo ship the Dugong Ace helped retrieve the trio before Cairns’ Challenger Rescue Aircraft arrived at the scene.

The men are expected to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday.

The stricken catamaran in the Coral Sea. Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority

The Tion is registered to a Russian expedition that is midway through a circumnavigation of the globe.

It belongs to a sailing and exploration group that is a regional member of the Russian Geographic Society.

It is not the crew’s first hiccup on their long journey. Their voyage with the inflatable catamaran began from Easter Island, after their original vessel was disabled in a massive storm off the coast of South America.

They spent months on Easter Island fixing up the catamaran before setting off across the Pacific on April 21.

A week ago, they left Vanuatu, bound for Cairns.

AMSA said the rescue was a “timely reminder” for all boaties to carrie distress beacons.

“GPS-equipped EPIRBs and personal locater beacons can save your life in an emergency,” it said.

– with AAP