SIU members sailing aboard the Maersk Tennessee, the APL-operated Herodote, the NY Waterway ferry Abraham Lincoln and the Centerline Logistics-operated tugboats Richardson Sea and Chabria Sea were all involved in rescues this year.
On July 22, the SIU crew of the Maersk Tennessee spotted a man in need of help, 40 nautical miles off the coast of Florida. The man was piloting a jet ski, which had run out of fuel, and had drifted out to sea. The crew worked together to get the man onboard with the port pilot ladder and slant combination, with a rescue boat on standby but ultimately not needed.
The SIU members aboard the Tennessee at the time included Bosun Keller Gilyard, ABs Koksal Demir, Delroy Fernandez Fernandez, Michael Kanga, Nathaniel Lynch and Troy Mack, QE4 John Jaremchuk, QEE Ann Mensch, GUDE Amer Ahmed, Steward Baker Susan Emmons, Chief Cook Velicia Williams and SA Emy Smith.
Once onboard, the rescued man informed the crew that he had been stranded for nearly five days. He was later transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard vessel which linked up with the Tennessee.
On August 10, the crew of the Herodote – which includes SIU members working in the steward department – was presented with an award from a rescue that took place on March 21.
As detailed by the Coast Guard Certificate of Merit: “On March 21, 2022, while underway on a voyage from Saipan, CNMI, to Hakata, Japan, your crew observed smoke and flames on the horizon from a fishing vessel approximately eight nautical miles from your vessel’s position and 107 nautical miles from Tanegashima Island, Japan. You immediately diverted towards the observed fire and discovered the Japanese fishing vessel YUUJIN MARU No. 51 was completely engulfed in flames from the superstructure to the waterline with no visible name or designating marks, and no visible signs of survivors. The crew of the CMA CGM HERODOTE took immediate action to search for survivors, made radio broadcasts for assistance from vessels in the area, contacted USCG District 14 Command Center Honolulu and further coordinated SAR efforts with the Japan Coast Guard. You remained on scene and provided invaluable real-time information to SAR experts. The CMA CGM HERODOTE was joined by the Greece-flagged tanker WOODSIDE ROGERS to assist with the response and soon located three persons in the water, who were then recovered by the WOODSIDE ROGERS. It was discovered that a total of eight crewmembers were onboard the YUUJIN MARU No. 51, comprised of six Indonesian and two Japanese nationals. CMA CGM HERODOTE continued to search for survivors until relieved by Japanese Coast Guard air and surface assets approximately seven hours after the initial sighting.”
The SIU crew onboard the vessel included Recertified Steward Karl Meyer, Chief Cook Wardell Paze and ACU Jose Ayon-Ayon.
Not even a week later, a crew of SIU members working aboard the NY Waterway-operated ferry Abraham Lincoln responded to two kayakers in distress on August 16.
According to Captain Anthony Ryan, “It was a real busy time of day, as far as boat traffic. I’m just happy nobody got hurt, and we were able to save them.”
Ryan and his crew brought the kayakers aboard and safely transported them to Pier 11. No injuries were reported.
Finally, an award ceremony took place Aug. 24 for the crews of the Richardson Sea and Chabria Sea, who were involved in a rescue that saved the life of a jet skier in New York Harbor on June 25 – the International Day of the Seafarer.
The award ceremony recognized the efforts of SIU members Ryan Bradley, Corey Harris and John Huggins, who were involved in the rescue. The details of the rescue were previously reported in the August issue of the Seafarers LOG.
###
Comments are closed.