The United States Coast Guard told Military.com that a mariner rescued at sea over the weekend endured a “severe infection” and was at risk of losing a lower extremity if not discovered in due time.
The service said Sunday that Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen aircrew medevaced an unnamed 46-year-old mariner on Sept. 19 from a commercial motor vessel located approximately 100 nautical miles east of St. Maarten.
The individual was described as suffering from a rapidly progressing infection and was safely hoisted aboard an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and transported to the Centro Médico Hospital trauma center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for emergency specialized care.
Ricardo Castrodad, spokesperson at USCG Sector San Juan Public Affairs, told Military.com that “without specialized care at a shoreside medical facility” the individual in question—whose identity is not currently being released due to privacy considerations—could have suffered the loss of the extremity.
“During medevac operations of this nature, the Coast Guard closely evaluates the situation in coordination with the ship’s crew or any onboard medical personnel,” Castrodad said. “This coordination also involves regular consultation with a CG Duty Flight Surgeon to advise on care before and during the rescue operation.
“Coast Guard watch standers also collaborate with foreign and local partners, the maritime industry, and commercial vessels in transit to determine the most effective course of action to assist the distressed mariner.”
The operation was executed with vital support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations (CBP-OFO), Puerto Rico Emergency Medical Services, Centro Médico personnel, and the shipping agent for the M/V Kotka.
How the Rescue Unfolded
The Coast Guard said that Rescue Sub-Center San Juan watch standers were initially notified Wednesday night when the master of the M/V Kotka, a 1,083-foot Liberian-flagged container ship, reported that a crew member was “suffering from a severe, non-ambulatory infection that was unresponsive to onboard medication.”
At the time of that notification, the M/V Kotka was positioned more than 1,300 nautical miles east of the Lesser Antilles and well beyond the operational reach of land-based rescue helicopters and days away from port.
“In this instance, the individual was successfully transferred to medical authorities in stable condition,” Castrodad told Military.com when asked about the patient’s current condition.
“Such time-sensitive emergencies occur frequently and with little notice. The Coast Guard, alongside the broader maritime community, maintains a long-standing tradition of rendering aid to mariners facing injury, illness or distress on the high seas,” he added.
Due to the distance and severity of the mariner’s physical condition, Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators reportedly formulated a phased operational plan that involved the M/V Kotka increasing to maximum transit speed toward a designated rendezvous position east of the Leeward Islands.
Simultaneously, Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen pre-positioned an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew in Sint Maarten on Friday afternoon to shorten the distance for the medevac.
Also, a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft launched out of Miami, Fla., to provide continuous communications relay, navigation assistance, and top-cover air escort.
At approximately 100 nautical miles east of St. Maarten, the Jayhawk aircrew arrived on scene with the M/V Kotka. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer who was deployed to the vessel’s deck worked with the ship’s crew to prepare and safely hoist the mariner aboard the aircraft.
The helicopter crew then completed the transit across the northeastern Caribbean, landing at the Base San Juan helipad where awaiting trauma emergency medical service personnel received the patient and completed his transport to the Centro Medico Hospital in San Juan.
“Our team was at its best throughout the complex execution of this multi-day rescue,” said Capt. Robert E. Stiles, Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator for the case, in a statement. “We commend our aircrew for getting the aircraft on scene to rescue a ship’s crew member and get him to a shoreside medical facility for the higher level of care he required. We are hopeful he will make a full recovery.”
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