NAVY personnel are scrambling to rescue up to 180 asylum seekers...

NAVY personnel are scrambling to rescue up to 180 asylum seekers from a vessel which capsized north of Christmas Island in bad weather.

A RAAF plane dropped life rafts to people in the water shortly after the overcrowded vessel rolled.

Weather conditions had prevented Australian authorities boarding the boat which first called for help around 2.15am.

It had been escorted by the Navy as it tracked towards Christmas Island before capsizing in the poor conditions around 6.30pm.

At least a dozen people were in the water before the situation deteriorated.

Few of the passengers on the vessel had been seen in life jackets before the capsize with Navy crews scrambling to pluck them from the water.

There were fears not all the passengers would survive.

An AMSA spokesman said there were thought to be 180 people on the vessel.

HMAS Albany had been escorting the vessel towards Christmas Island with frigate HMAS Warramunga also at the scene.

The Customs vessel Triton was being deployed last night to help with rescue efforts.

The incident has come just days after a baby boy drowned and eight others, including at least two children, vanished after an asylum boat which took on water north of Christmas Island.

It also follows the dramatic rescue of an asylum boat captain 12 hours after he plunged from a vessel on Sunday, hours before another crewmen leapt off the boat but was brought back on board.

About 70 asylum seekers were involved in an earlier rescue directed by AMSA.

HMAS Bathurst went to the aid of a vessel almost 165km north of Christmas Island which had broken steering, an AMSA spokeswoman said.

Since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd returned as Prime Minister 2376 people have a arrived on boats, including 2138 already this month, not including the vessel with 180 on board.

In addition to the baby boy from Sri Lanka who drowned this month and the eight missing, 220 asylum seekers have either drowned or vanished this year and more than 15,600 have arrived safely.

The surge has come amid warnings from Foreign Minister Bob Carr that arrivals, on track to be around 40,000 this year, could double to 80,000 a year.

He warned the government's response would be strong.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the Coalition remained committed to its tow back policy and welcomed Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natelagawa saying on Monday the country was willing to discuss the policy.

"The Coalition certainly welcomes the statement made by Dr Natalegawa that obviously discussions and dialogue would obviously continue if the Coalition government was elected in Australia. Of course, the Indonesian government would always deal with the government of the day in Australia, and I think that's a positive thing," he said.

"I also note that Dr Natalegawa has completely rejected the suggestion made by the Prime Minister that the Coalition's policies could lead to some sort of Konfrontasi situation."

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national-news/race-to-save-180-asylum-seekers-after-boat-capsizes-near-christmas-island/story-fncynjr2-1226680389415#ixzz2ZCgYBT7q