Miami Command Center News

A 23-year-old male was medically evacuated by a Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter aircrew in the Bahamas Wednesday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Miami command center received a report from a good Samaritan aboard the fishing vessel Ducky Dive 46 nautical miles west of Andros Islands, Bahamas, of a 23-year-old male who was suffering chest pains and required urgent medical care. After consulting with the duty flight surgeon, a Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami was launched. Upon arriving on scene, the male was safely hoisted from the fishing vessel into the helicopter and transported to Odyssey Airport, Bahamas, were emergency medical services awaited. The male was last know to be in stable condition.

Coast Guard rescue crews rescued four men from the water after their vessel capsized one nautical mile east of Port Everglades inlet Wednesday evening. An additional male was taken to Broward General Hospital for a higher level of care. Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Miami command center received a report from a person clinging to the hull of a capsized fishing vessel and requested assistance. The watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and launched rescue crews from Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and from Coast Guard Air Station Miami to begin searching for the people in the water. A Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale boatcrew arrived on scene and recovered four males from the water.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Office and Group Miami are overseeing response operations to the grounding of the 544-foot cargo ship Eastwind, which was attempting to enter Port Everglades, Fla. early this morning. Titan Maritime, LLC will focus on refloating the M/V EASTWIND at next high tide, at approximately 12:10 am. Commercial salvage engineers are taking precautions, in the event that fuel tanks are threatened aboard the vessel. These will consist of an internal transfer of heavy oil from a lower tank to the upper wing tanks to reduce the risk of a spill. Currently, no signs of pollution or injuries have been reported. The Coast Guard continues to monitor and assist, to protect the marine environment and ensure that operations are conducted safely.

Coast Guard Headquarters has designated the Group/Marine Safety Office Miami Command Center to be the first to be redesigned to meet the Coast Guard’s expanded mission under the Department of Homeland Security together with its traditional missions. The Science and Technology branch of DHS joined with the Coast Guard to build a prototype integrated maritime surveillance system covering Port Everglades, Miami and part of Biscayne Bay and offshore approaches. The $8 million, 24-month pilot program will integrate existing facilities and upgrade equipment to detect, track, and identify vessel traffic around ports, in between the ports and over the horizon.

A Unified Command compromised of federal, state and vessel owner’s representatives are overseeing response operations to the grounding of the 600 foot bulk freight ship Federal Pescadores which was attempting to anchor outside Port Everglades, Fla. The Panamanian-flagged vessel was carrying cement, also has approximately 588 tons of bunker oil and 105 tons of diesel fuel onboard. Titan Maritime, LLC and its subcontractor Resolve Marine Group will focus on refloating the M/V Federal Pescadores at high tide, Sunday afternoon. Commercial salvage engineers began removing fuel oil from the vessel’s double bottom fuel tanks at approximately 11:40 a.m. today to mitigate any pollution risks prior to refloating the vessel. The fuel oil is being transferred to MSRC Barge 452.