The United States Coast Guard (USCG) announced Wednesday that it rescued a tanker crew member from the water 10 miles off the coast of Galveston, Texas.
“Watchers at Coast Guard Sector Command Center Houston-Galveston received a distress call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 9:23 a.m. from personnel aboard the tanker Ghibli, stating that a crew member had fell overboard and was not wearing a life jacket,” the USCG. he said in a statement posted on his website.
“Watchmen issued an urgent marine information broadcast, diverted an already airborne MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Houston, and directed the launch of a 45-foot medium crew response vessel from Coast Guard Station Galveston,” the USCG added.
The helicopter crew located the man, deployed a rescue swimmer to remove him from the water and transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston for further care, the USCG said in the statement, adding that the man was “in stable condition”. “.
“Wearing a life jacket is absolutely crucial,” Travis Addison, Houston-Galveston sector operations unit controller, said in the USCG statement.
“It was fortunate that our helicopter crew was flying nearby. If not, this case could have ended differently,” he added.
A video posted on the USCG Heartland Twitter page shows the USCG rescue operation.
A @USCG Air Station Houston’s helicopter crew rescued a crew member from a tanker that went overboard 10 miles offshore. #Galveston, Texas. Learn more here: https://t.co/yfSYoRkM3L pic.twitter.com/9Ja1jyTsl8
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) September 13, 2023
The Ghibli is a 2009-built crude oil tanker sailing under the flag of Liberia, according to marinetraffic.com, which shows the vessel is in the US Gulf of Mexico at the time of writing.
On August 10, the USCG disclosed that it evacuated two sailors from a construction vessel approximately 20 miles south of Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana.
“Watchmen at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a medical evacuation request at approximately 11 a.m. from the ship’s emergency medical technician for a passenger suffering from heart-related issues.” , the USCG said in a statement posted on its site last month.
“Watchmen in the New Orleans sector then coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to assist,” the statement added.
“The crew arrived on scene, lifted the two sailors aboard the helicopter and transported them to waiting EMS personnel at the University of New Orleans Medical Center. Last reported when the man was in stable condition,” the USCG statement continued.
A video of this rescue was also uploaded to the USCG’s Twitter page.
A #USCG Air Station New Orleans crew evacuated 2 sailors from a construction vessel about 20 miles south of Atchafalaya Bay, #Louisiana.
Read more here, https://t.co/1OyEnZCtif pic.twitter.com/BIvdaLzG4t
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) August 11, 2023
On July 23, the USCG announced in a statement on Twitter that it conducted the medical evacuation of a 43-year-old woman from an oil tanker 55 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Coast Guard conducts a medical evacuation of a 43-year-old woman from an oil tanker 55 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. #coastguard #dolphin #lakecharles #search and rescue pic.twitter.com/ZFkun01e6b
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) July 23, 2023
On July 9, the USCG said it evacuated a crew member from an oil rig 88 miles from Freeport, Texas.
“Watchmen at the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center received a notification at 5:46 a.m. that a 50-year-old oil rig crew member was experiencing symptoms of cardiac arrest and required medical assistance,” he said. the USCG said in a statement posted on its site at the time.
“Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medical evacuation. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to conduct the medical evacuation and a crew from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to provide cover flight,” the statement added.
“The helicopter crew landed aboard the oil rig, boarded the man and transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The patient was reported to be in stable condition,” he said. continue
Footage of this rescue was posted on the USCG’s Twitter page.
#BREAKING a @USCG Air Station #Houston The helicopter crew evacuated a 50-year-old man from an oil rig 88 miles off the coast of Freeport, Texas after he experienced symptoms of cardiac arrest. Learn more about the rescue here: https://t.co/FgrKiSg12n pic.twitter.com/JU7HIcRX86
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) July 9, 2023
The USCG is the lead federal agency responsible for maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship of US ports and inland waterways, along more than 95,000 miles of US coastline, on the 4.5 million miles squares of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the United States. high seas, says the organization on its website.
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