Daniel Deptula News

U.S. A Mexican fishing boat, also known as a lancha, was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in the waters off South Texas, Monday. At 11 p.m. Sunday, an Air Station Corpus Christi aircrew aboard an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane located a lancha 20 miles north of the U.S./Mexico maritime border and 30 miles offshore. The aircrew vectored in the Coast Guard Cutter Seahawk and a 33-foot law enforcement boat from Station South Padre Island; the lancha was chased for 30 miles before it stopped south of the maritime border.

The Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center received a distress call from the 68-foot-long shrimping vessel Huachinango (“wha-chin-ahn-go”), taking on water 37 miles offshore of Baffin Bay. The three people aboard activated two de-watering pumps and started to keep pace with the flooding in the engine compartment. However, the flooding quickly covered the lower half of the engine room and they had difficulty keeping power for the pumps with their generator. The Coast Guard Cutter Brant, an 87-foot patrol boat on patrol offshore, and an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew from Sector Corpus Christi were dispatched to assist. The helicopter arrived on scene first and lowered their rescue swimmer and a de-watering pump to assist the flooded vessel.

The Coast Guard interdicted a Mexican fishing crew poaching in South Texas, Thursday, after it was pursued by a Coast Guard aircraft and intercepted by the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Cobia. In an unrelated incident after intercepting the lancha, a crewmember from the Cobia fell and was injured, requiring a medevac. A 25-foot Mexican fishing boat, also known as a lancha, was spotted by a civilian aircraft fishing 30 miles offshore and 72 miles north of the U.S./Mexican border at approximately 2 p.m. The aircraft immediately notified Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi, who launched an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to identify and pursue the lancha. The aircrew coordinated with the Cutter Cobia to intercept as the lancha began to flee south toward Mexican waters.

U.S. Coast Guard crews at Station South Padre Island have completed the qualification and trial run process, Tuesday, for the new 45-foot-Response Boat-Medium that was delivered to the station in late February. The training focused on acclimating the crews to the boat's advanced response capabilities. With twin diesel engines using water-jet propulsion, the RB-M can respond faster than previous boats of similar size and has a top speed in excess of 40 knots. It has advanced search capability with an installed forward-looking infrared search technology. Additionally, with twin jet propulsion, the vessel is extremely maneuverable and is better suited to respond to mariners in distress and law enforcement operations.

Four Mexican nationals, who were illegally fishing in U.S. waters off South Texas were rescued, after their lancha began taking on water during a pursuit by the crew of the Cutter 'Brant', informs the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guardsmen spotted a lancha crew recovering long-line fishing gear, 28 miles offshore and 4 miles north of the U.S./Mexico border and pursued the lancha for approximately 6 miles. However, during the pursuit, the lancha’s hull cracked three feet and began taking on water, at which point the cutter crew came alongside and took the four Mexican nationals aboard.

U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued two fishermen Monday, after their boat started taking on water in the Gulf of Mexico. At approximately 3:30 p.m. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi received a radio transmission from a distressed fisherman saying, “We have breached the hull, we are going down.” The call came from 40-foot fishing boat Miss Yalanda with two individuals aboard. Their boat was taking on water and flooding the engine room approximately 19 miles off the coast of Port O’Connor.

Coast Guard crew seizes a lancha, 297 illegally caught fish, & detain crew of 4 Mexican nationals apprehended fishing in US waters in the US Exclusive Economic Zone. The cutter's crew spotted the lancha 10 miles north of the U.S./Mexico border. The crew launched a small boat to pursue the lancha, which stopped and was boarded. The crew was able to determine that the four Mexicans onboard had been fishing illegally, having caught 272 red snapper, four mackerel and 21 blacktip shark.

The Coast Guard and local agencies continue to oversee operations to refloat the PSV 'Int'l Carrier'. The four person crew of the grounded motor vessel Int’l Carrier made an attempt to refloat the ship Tuesday evening after main propulsion was regained, but they were not successful. The ship ran aground Monday, about 9 miles northeast of Port Aransas. The ship’s owner, International Offshore Services, has signed a contract with Mammoet Salvage to develop a salvage plan and recover the vessel.

The Coast Guard and local agencies are working to refloat an oil rig platform supply vessel after it ran aground on San Jose Island, Texas. No injuries, damage or pollution were reported, but the captain estimated that the vessel had 8,000 gallons of fuel and 110 gallons of lube oil on board. Coast Guard crews were launched aboard a 45-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Port Aransas and a HU-25 Falcon jet and MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi to assist and evaluate the situation.