Coast Guard medevacs crewmember from 400-foot barge 140 nautical miles south of Puerto Rico

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Contact: Coast Guard Puerto Rico PA Office Office: 787-729-2381 After Hours: 787-510-7923 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands online newsroom

 

Coast Guard medevacs crewmember from 400-foot barge 140 nautical miles south of Puerto Rico

The crew of a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter rendezvous with the 400-foot DP Superior Performance barge June 28 2021, approximately 140 nautical miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico during the medevac of a barge crewmember who was experiencing possible cardiac distress. The patient was transported to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was received by Emergency Medical Service personnel and transported to a local hospital.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The crew of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter medevaced a crewmember from a 400-foot accommodation barge Monday, approximately 140 nautical miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a call from the DP 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 medical emergency, the tugboat Crosby Leader was towing the barge on a voyage from Brazil to the United States of America.

Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Borinquen to conduct the medevac. Upon arriving on scene, the helicopter crew lowered their rescue swimmer, along with a rescue basket, who worked with the crew to secure patient and hoist him aboard the aircraft.

The Coast Guard helicopter transported the patient to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where awaiting Emergency Medical Service personnel received and transported him to the Pavia Hospital in San Juan.

“The crew was put together on extremely short notice, however everyone did their part to ensure a successful outcome despite the challenging conditions,” said Lt. Shea Smith, Coast Guard MH-60T aircraft commander for the case. “This goes to show the importance of standardization within the aviation community. It was a great case with an excellent outcome. We are happy we could help a fellow mariner in distress get to a higher level of care.”

For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

-USCG-