Air Station Borinquen News

A Marshall Islands registered chemical tanker came to the aid of a sailor in distress Saturday morning in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 57 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Rico.U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a VHF-Channel 16 communication from the sailing vessel Tao at 1:45 a.m. Saturday reporting the vessel lost steering and the sole boater on board, an 80-year-old man, had lost the ability to simultaneously access the vessel’s compass and emergency…

An ailing crewmember was medevaced from a 400-foot accommodation barge Monday, approximately 140 nautical miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a call from the DB Superior Performance barge reporting a medical emergency for a 46-year-old crewmember who was experiencing possible cardiac distress and required specialized medical care ashore. At the time of the emergency, the tugboat Crosby Leader was towing…

Three people were rescued from a 71-year-old tugboat that sank south of Puerto Rico on Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector San Juan fielded a mayday call from the crew of the 112-foot U.S.-flagged tug Proassist III, stating they were taking on water approximately two miles south of Yabucoa Harbor.A good Samaritan embarked the three people from the 1949-built tug and took them ashore with no reported injuries.On Friday, a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen…

U.S. Coast Guard air and surface rescue crews at Sector San Juan responded and assisted the distressed M/V Island Express Wednesday afternoon, after the ship started taking on water when it departed the Port of San Juan for storm avoidance in anticipation of Tropical Cyclone 9.The M/V Island Express, a Cyprus flagged 412-foot ro-ro cargo ship, and its 18-man crew is now safely moored in San Juan Harbor.Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a Mayday VHF radio transmission on Channel 16 from the Captain of the M/V Island Express…

A crewmember suffering from abdominal pain was medevaced from the 653-feet bulk carrier ship Yasa Jupiter Saturday, approximately 60 nautical miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector San Juan received the medevac request from the Marshall Islands flagged ship on Friday night.The Yasa Jupiter was sailing from Morocco to Panama, approximately 360 nautical miles northeast of Puerto Rico, outside the range of responding rescue helicopters…

The U.S. Coast Guard medically evacuated the Captain of the 734-foot Singapore-flagged containership M/V Maersk Batam, approximately 100 nautical miles south of Puerto Rico, Monday night.The containership captain, a U.K. citizen, was experiencing life threatening symptoms of a possible stroke during the ship’s transit from St. Marta, Colombia to their next scheduled port call in Southhampton, England.Coast Guard Sector San Juan watchstanders received the medevac request at 9:55 a.m. Monday from the M/V Maersk Batam, as the ship was transiting 175 nautical miles southwest of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard watchstanders launched a Coast Guard MH-65D helicopter crew from Air Station Borinquen to conduct the medevac…

The Coast Guard is responding to a 6.5 magnitude earthquake and seismic activity off the south and southwest coasts of Puerto Rico.All the ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands remain open until further notice. Currently, there is no ongoing maritime search and rescue as a result of the registered seismic activity.Coast Guard Sector San Juan and Air Station Borinquen have activated their Incident Management Teams, which remain in close communication with local and federal…

The Coast Guard interdicted 66 migrants in the last 72-hours in five separate events near Puerto Rico.The Coast Guard, and federal and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico law enforcement partners have interdicted more than 380 migrants and stopped several narcotics smuggling attempts since October of 2018.“These recent migrant and drug interdiction cases, though smaller than what we see at our land borders, are a reminder of the constant threat toward the American citizens of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” said Rear Adm. Peter Brown, Coast Guard 7th District commander.

The Coast Guard interdicted a vessel, Monday, with 35 Dominican migrants and 4 kilograms of heroin approximately 34 miles west of Desecheo, Puerto Rico.The crew of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry, deployed to Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico, detected the vessel Monday evening. Watchstanders with Coast Guard Sector San Juan diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez (WPC-1114), who arrived on scene, embarked the 35 migrants and discovered a backpack…

Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews rescued two divers and a minor during two unrelated cases Thursday in Fajardo and Vieques, Puerto Rico. The first rescue came when Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a 911 call Thursday afternoon reporting four children and two adults had been pulled away from shore by strong currents at “Playa Escondida” in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The crew of a Coast Guard helicopter diverted to the scene, located the people in distress and deployed their rescue swimmer to hoist one of the children from the water. The Coast Guard aircrew safely transferred the minor to shore, and confirmed that the other five people were able to swim safely to shore.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew medevaced a man Wednesday afternoon from the 392-foot Maltese-flagged tank ship Emek-S, approximately 28 nautical miles southwest of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call from the captain of the Emek-S at 3:08 p.m. stating that a crewmember, who was a Turkish citizen, had lost part of his left hand's middle finger two hours earlier. The watchstanders notified the Air Station Borinquen flight surgeon…

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew evacuated an ailing mariner from a tanker vessel approximately 50 nautical miles north of San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, early Tuesday morning. The helicopter crew safely transported the man to emergency medical services at Centro Medico Hospital in San Juan. Coast Guard Sector San Juan command center watchstanders received a request for assistance from the crew of the 600-foot tanker Champion Cornelia early Monday morning while the vessel was approximately 300 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico.

A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen team safely hoisted a 61-year-old man suffering from severe dehydration from the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) bulk carrier 'AS Vincentia' some 400 nm from shore. The Liberian-flagged ship had earlier taken the patient off  the sailing yacht 'Enzo'. The Cutter Vigorous rendezvoused with AS Vincentia 200 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico where the crew of the MH-65 helicopter safely hoisted the Canadian national off the AS Vincentia and took him to the cutter Vigorous to receive medical attention.

Coast Guard helicopter crews hoisted seven crewmembers to safety in two separate missions Saturday and Sunday from the 220-foot Panamanian cargo vessel Capitan L, after the cargo ship began taking on water approximately 46 nautical miles south of Isla Saona, Dominican Republic. The master of the Capitan L reported to controllers at Coast Guard Sector San Juan that his vessel had an engine room exhaust leak, was adrift and out of fuel. The vessel was bound for the Dominican Republic when it ran into trouble about 23 nautical miles south of Puerto Rico. The master advised the Coast Guard his crew would make the necessary repairs and bring the ship to the Dominican Republic.

Coast Guard personnel were on scene at an oil spill in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico that occurred late Sunday night when an estimated 7,000 barrels or 294,000 gallons of #6 grade fuel oil leaked from a 24 inch transfer pipe used to move product from the shore side facility to tanker ships. All but 50 gallons were contained in the facilities secondary containment area and around the clock operations continue to contain and remove the oil. The incident occurred when a transfer pipe burst 5,000 yards inland from shore at the Commonwealth Oil Refining Company CORCO facility in the port of Guayanilla. The oil was being transfer to the motor vessel Sorokaletie Pobedy, a Liberian flagged tank ship. The National Response center notified the Coast Guard Command Center of the spill Sunday at 11:30 p.m.

Coast Guard personnel deployed to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic to support Dominican Republic authorities during salvage operations of Liberian gas carrier SCF Tomsk which ran aground Monday. Dominican Republic authorities have established a Unified Command to coordinate salvage operations between local agencies and the marine industry responding to the incident. The Nodrog Shipping Corporation owned vessel has hired marine salvage company Titan to conduct salvage operations. The 551-foot gas carrier completed offloading liquefied petroleum gas at the Coastal Petroleum Dominicana, S.A. facility in San Pedro de Macoris Monday, when the vessel broke loose from its offshore moorings and grounded on the reef line during Tropical Storm Noel.

Coast Guard personnel deployed to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic to support Dominican Republic authorities during salvage operations of Liberian gas carrier SCF Tomsk which ran aground Monday. Dominican Republic authorities have established a Unified Command to coordinate salvage operations between local agencies and the marine industry responding to the incident. The Nodrog Shipping Corporation owned vessel has hired marine salvage company Titan to conduct salvage operations. The 551-foot gas carrier completed offloading liquefied petroleum gas at the Coastal Petroleum Dominicana, S.A. facility in San Pedro de Macoris Monday, when the vessel broke loose from its offshore moorings and grounded on the reef line during Tropical Storm Noel.