U.S. Coast Guard Medevacs Ailing Crew Member From Cargo Ship Off Hawaii

The US Coast Guard evacuated a sick crew member from a US-flagged cargo ship 86 miles off Hawaii on Wednesday, October 7.

The 55-year-old man was lifted from the 545-foot cargo ship Ocean Gladiator by an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point at 8:35 a.m. local time. He was then taken to Hilo International Airport for further medical care.

The Coast Guard’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Honolulu received a request for help at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6. The ship was about 540 miles southeast of Hawaii’s Big Island at the time.

A duty flight surgeon advised that the crew member should be evacuated. Coast Guard watchstanders kept in regular contact with the ship’s crew to check on his condition and arranged the evacuation when the vessel was 86 miles off the island.

The Ocean Gladiator was on its way from Baltimore to Manila, carrying two decommissioned 87-foot Marine Protector-class Coast Guard cutters and a fuel barge.

Footage released by the US Coast Guard showed that the two cutters had been repainted ahead of their transfer to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Automatic identification system (AIS) data showed that the cargo ship continued its voyage after the evacuation.

The Philippine Coast Guard formally accepted the former US Coast Guard cutters Marlin and Bluefin at a ceremony in Baltimore in August. The two vessels are due to enter service as BRP Pag-Asa and BRP Patag, respectively, after arriving in the Philippines in October.

The US Coast Guard has not released further details about the crew member’s medical condition.

Reference: US Coast Guard (USCG)