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Sector Command Center News

29 Jun 2015

Missing Divers Found in Gulf of Mexico

A Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew stands with two rescued divers after they were located and rescued Saturday, June 27. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

U.S. Two overdue divers offshore from San Jose Island, Texas, were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter crew Saturday afternoon. The two San Antonio men, Dennis Garrett and Robert Holms, were diving approximately 16 miles off the shoreline of San Jose Island at approximately 10 a.m. when they became noticeably overdue, leading the captain of the dive boat Reel Excursions to contact the USCG on marine band VHF-16 after growing concerns that they were 40 minutes overdue and could not be found.

07 Aug 2014

Video: USCG Medevacs Tanker Captain

Image: USCG

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter crew medevaced the captain of a tanker approximately 50 miles offshore of Corpus Christi Wednesday morning. Watch the video here. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center were notified Tuesday at approximately 4:30 p.m. that the 50-year-old captain of the Weser, a 422-foot oil and chemical tanker vessel was experiencing severe pain in his leg with a possible blood clot. A Coast Guard flight surgeon concurred with the need for medevac.

30 Jul 2014

Pumps Reach Sinking Shrimper Just in Time

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.

21 Apr 2014

Two Rescued from Grounded Fishing Vessel

The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued two men from a grounded fishing vessel near Sitka Monday. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka landed on the beach at Low Island in Sitka Sound near the 50-foot fishing vessel Mirage and the two crewmembers were able to safely disembark their vessel and walk to the waiting helicopter for transport to Sitka. Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received a report from the Sitka Police Department that the Mirage, with two people aboard, was aground on the island approximately 10 miles west of Sitka. Sector command center personnel requested assistance from a Sitka Mountain Rescue smallboat crew to respond and confirm the situation.

17 Apr 2013

MARSEC Level Increased

As of April 15, 2013, the Captain of the Port of Boston has raised the MARSEC Level to MARSEC level 2 within the COPT Boston zone. Each owner or operator of a vessel or facility required to have a security plan under 33 CFR Parts 104 or 105 must notify the COTP at (617) 223-5242 within 12 hours of receipt of notification that measures or actions described in their security plan and any other requirements that may be imposed by the COTP that correspond with MARSEC Level 2 have been attained. Due to this heightened level of security, regulated vessels and facilities under the authority of the COTP and all maritime partners are asked to be aware of the higher threat conditions and to increase protective measures.

25 Jul 2009

Rescue 21’s Disaster Recovery System

The Rescue 21 Disaster Recovery System (DRS), a self-sufficient mobile system designed to temporarily restore full Rescue 21 communications in the event regular communications are lost, can now be deployed throughout the continental United States with as little as 24 hours notice. This is an important capability as the U.S. Coast Guard prepares for the busiest months of the hurricane season, which are August and September. This marks the first hurricane season the DRS will be fully deployed by the Coast Guard. Previously a contractor was responsible for deploying the system, which meant the DRS could not be moved from its contractor-owned Huntsville, Ala., storage facility to an area close to an approaching hurricane without an approved contract and contingency funding.

16 Jul 2009

Guilty Plea, Crimes Related to Pollution

A Greek citizen, Panagiotis Lekkas, the captain of the bulk cargo ship the M/V Theotokos, pleaded guilty to four felony counts in federal court in New Orleans for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws and obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard investigation, the Justice Department announced. Additionally, a Philippine citizen, Charles P. Posas, the second highest officer onboard the M/V Theotokos, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of lying to the Coast Guard and violating recordkeeping laws aimed at reducing the risk of marine invasive species. Posas is the first individual ever charged under the anti-invasive species law, a law designed to mitigate the introduction of marine invasive species into waters of the United States.

15 Dec 2008

Report on Collision Death off Pt. Reyes

On Dec. 10, the U.S. Coast Guard released the results of two investigations. One report outlines the causes of the July 13, 2007 fatal collision between a cargo ship and a small fishing boat which occurred in heavy fog off Pt. Reyes, and the other is an internal review of the service's handling of the incident. The incident involved the 291 ft motor vessel Eva Danielsen, a Bahamian-flagged cargo ship, and a 28 ft wooden fishing vessel, the Buona Madre, home ported in Santa Cruz, California. A collision between the two vessels resulted in the destruction of the fishing boat and the death of Mr. Paul Wade. A Coast Guard Marine Casualty Investigation…

12 May 2006

Citizens Help Coast Guard as Radio Towers Undergo Tests

Two long range radio towers used by Coast Guard Sector Portland, Ore., to monitor VHF marine radio communications in the Portland area will be undergoing tests, temporarily cutting off the sector command center's ability to send and receive radio transmissions. During several 15 minute blocks of testing the Coast Guard will be relying on four individuals along the Columbia River with VHF marine radios to listen for any distress calls. One of the individuals is a Citizens Action Network member. This marks the first time the Citizens Action Network will be used as a radio watch since its inception two years ago in the Puget Sound region.