SIU members sailing aboard two Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) tankers finished May with a flourish, as they performed two rescues at sea 18 hours apart.
Mariners aboard the Overseas Santorini on May 30 rescued a family of four (including two children) whose sailboat was leaking in the middle of the Atlantic, while the crew and officers of the Overseas Nikiski saved two people from a disabled sailboat the next day in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The SIU collectively could not be more proud of our members’ outstanding work with these two operations,” said SIU Vice President Contracts George Tricker. “They upheld the finest traditions of our motto, Brotherhood of the Sea, and they deserve every accolade that comes their way.”
SIU members sailing aboard the Santorini included Bosun Paul Altenor, ABs Jeff Ham and Jaquaz Jenkins, OSs Domingo Martinez Reyes and Fahmi Saeed, QMED/Pumpman Dhahabi Quraish, GUDEs Fernando Smith and Julio Zapata, Steward/Baker Michael Carello, Chief Cook Antonio Hernandez and SA Jose Bolbaran.
Seafarers sailing aboard the Nikiski included Bosun Bobby Brown, OSs Tyree Mosley and Joey Roberts, QMED/Pumpman Kelly Mayo, GUDEs Carlos Arzu, Carlo Cafe and Jevon David, Steward/Baker Larry Pugh, Chief Cook Cynthia Servance, and SAs Ivan Castillo and Dominique Wesley.
According to OSG, the Santorini and two other vessels were contacted by U.S. Coast Guard offices in Norfolk, Virginia, about a sailing vessel in distress in the Atlantic, approximately 800 miles from land. The damaged boat was taking on water.
Bosun Altenor recalled, “I was on the deck and the captain called and told us we had to divert course for a rescue. The seas were rough, but everything went all right. The people we rescued were very happy and very appreciative. I’m proud we were part of it. We were in harm’s way, so we had to protect ourselves, too. That sailboat was rolling. Everything was done very fast and smooth.”
He added, “Everyone on deck did a good job. Things happen so fast, but you’re saving lives, and that’s the most important thing. And nobody got hurt in the process.”
AB Jenkins said it took a few hours for the tanker to reach the smaller craft, but, once on scene, the Santorini personnel performed well.
“We weren’t the closest vessel to them, but we just kept going. We had heard there was a family at sea, but we weren’t sure how many people,” he recalled. “We only knew they didn’t speak English.”
Jenkins said the mother boarded first, and the two children (ages 8 and 5) “climbed aboard with ease,” followed by the father. “Everybody made it aboard safely, and before you knew it, we were cutting the line and the sailboat drifted away. This certainly wasn’t an everyday experience. The family was happy, and I’m glad I was part of it.”
He added that the rescued group doesn’t plan to stop sailing – but does plan to buy a larger boat.
Asked about whether his training paid off during the rescue, Jenkins responded, “The SIU training helped quite a bit, honestly. Everything we learned at school (the Paul Hall Center) came into play at some point. It’s hard to explain, but so much training went into it.”
Meanwhile, the Nikiski on May 31 received a distress signal from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Clearwater, pertaining to two people stranded on a disabled boat in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 200 miles from land. The boat reportedly had lost propulsion and steering, and the weather was worsening.
Bosun Brown stated, “We got everything prepared – the heaving lines and everything. As we made an approach, there were Coast Guard helicopters flying in circles, as a marker…. We got close enough that they could climb up the pilot ladder.”
He continued, “I’ve heard about rescues in the past, but this was the first time I took part in one. It went pretty smoothly, and our training definitely came in handy . The people we rescued were really grateful; they hadn’t slept in three or four days. There was a storm picking up, so it was pretty rough out there for them.”
OS Mosley said, “I was on the bridge when we got the call. After that, it took about 90 minutes to get to the destination. Once we got there, it was an all-hands scenario. I was working the lines, and it took a couple hours to get them (aboard).”
He added that although it was his first rescue, “my training and safety drills prepared me for it. Everybody did their part, knew their role, and worked as a team to get them aboard safely.”
For GUDE Arzu, the experience “was a lot to take in.” That’s partly because the Nikiski was his first vessel – and the rescue happened during his second day aboard.
“I’m just glad we helped them,” Arzu stated. “They were super-excited and thankful. They definitely enjoyed the food we had on deck. The whole thing took me by surprise, but we have an elite crew.”
In both rescues, the extra passengers disembarked at the next respective ports of call.
OSG President and CEO Sam Norton said, “I have been involved directly or indirectly in eight or 10 rescues at sea in over 40 years. I never imagined that in the course of 18 hours, we would have two rescues in quick succession. The human response to such developments is too often to diminish the significance of the latter of a series of events, their occurrence somehow becoming normalized. That would be the wrong response. The preservation of any individual’s life in a time of crisis is a remarkable and extraordinary event.”
He added, “The recent rescues that unfolded on two of our vessels, separated by mere hours, are a reminder of the enormity of the ocean and its ability to make a single human life seem infinitely small. The collective and inspired choice of each crew to act with honest concern and empathy for those in distress and to engage without hesitation in providing the relief required affirms in the most visible way possible the standards of ethics and transparency that I believe lie at the core of OSG’s culture.”
OSG Chief Operations Officer Patrick O’Halloran said, “OSG is immensely proud of its seafarers for their selflessness, their dedication to the preservation of life, and for the professionalism displayed in these challenging and stressful situations. These rescue efforts exemplify OSG’s commitment to the highest standards of maritime safety and the paramount concern for human life.”
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