(HOUSTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember from a chemical tanker 190 miles off Galveston, Texas, on Friday.
Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watch standers received notification at 3:45 a.m. from personnel aboard the 525-foot chemical tanker Ginga Caracal that a crewmember had sustained chemical burns and was in need of medical assistance. Watch standers consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac, then directed the tanker crew to head ashore.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Houston and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft crew from Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi launched to assist.
Upon rendezvousing with the tanker, the Dolphin crew hoisted the ailing man and transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital in Galveston in stable condition.
“Carrying out a medevac so far offshore demands careful coordination between multiple air crews and command center personnel,” said Capt. Keith Donohue, search and rescue mission coordinator for the case. “Assisting those in need is the Coast Guard’s priority.”
– U.S. Coast Guard
