The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced on September 13 that they successfully rescued a crew member from a tanker vessel off the coast of Galveston, Texas. The USCG received a distress call from the crew, stating that a member had fallen overboard without a life jacket. In response, the USCG issued an urgent marine information broadcast and deployed a helicopter crew and a response boat to the scene. The crew member was located, rescued from the water by a rescue swimmer, and transported to a medical facility where they are reported to be in stable condition. Travis Addison, Operations Unit Controller at Sector Houston-Galveston, highlighted the importance of wearing a life jacket in these situations and expressed gratitude that the helicopter crew was able to quickly respond. A video of the rescue was also shared on USCG Heartland’s Twitter page.
The vessel involved in the incident is the Ghibli, a crude oil tanker registered under the flag of Liberia and built in 2009. It is currently located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, according to marinetraffic.com.
In a separate incident on August 10, the USCG conducted a medical evacuation of two boaters from a construction vessel near Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana. The request for medical assistance came from an emergency medical technician aboard the vessel. The USCG coordinated the launch of a helicopter crew to assist, and the boaters were safely hoisted aboard and transferred to medical personnel onshore. The individual in need of medical attention was reported to be in stable condition.
On July 23, the USCG conducted a medevac of a 43-year-old woman from an oil tanker located 55 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Another medevac operation took place on July 9 when the USCG responded to a notification of a crew member experiencing symptoms of cardiac arrest on an oil rig off the coast of Freeport, Texas. The USCG launched a helicopter crew to conduct the medevac and an aircraft crew to provide cover. The crew successfully transferred the patient to a medical facility in Galveston, and they were reported to be in stable condition.
The USCG is responsible for maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship in U.S. ports, inland waterways, and on the high seas. They cover over 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and the 4.5 million square miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.
The original article can be found on Rigzone’s website and the author can be contacted at andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com.