Shrimping Vessel Saved By Prompt Action On Part Of Crew, Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard recently responded to a commercial shrimping vessel in distress off the Texas coast. The prompt action by the shrimp boat's crew in summoning aid, and the Coast Guard’s fast and effective response, prevented the vessel from sinking some 14 miles out to sea.
The Coast Guard’s rescue operation began when a radio call from the Odin’s crew indicated that the ship was taking on water through its propeller shaft in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday morning. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter was dispatched and reached the vessel within approximately 45 minutes. Two de-watering pumps were lowered, along with a rescue swimmer.
The pumps reduced the water level inside the shrimping vessel sufficiently to allow it to stay afloat while it was towed back to port by a sister vessel.
The pilot of the Coast Guard’s rescue helicopter praised the Odin’s crew for its prompt call for immediate assistance. “The crew of this boat did the right thing by using VHF-marine channel 16 to contact the Coast Guard early enough that it was still a controllable situation,” he said.
The dire situation facing the shrimping vessel Odin in the early morning darkness demonstrates yet again the substantial dangers that maritime workers face every day as they earn a living at sea. The crew of the Odin is to be commended for acting quickly to summon aid; their prompt action may have avoided injury or loss of life, as well as loss of the vessel itself.
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