The United States Coast Guard rescued four sailors showing symptoms of a suspected food poisoning aboard an oil tanker about one nautical mile south of Vieques, Puerto Rico. The operation took place on the morning of Sunday, November 8, after the captain of the M/V Daibelli, a 328-foot oil tanker flagged in Cyprus, alerted the previous night about the crew members’ condition.
The ship presented a complicated hoisting environment, but thanks to excellent management of the crew's resources, teamwork and adaptability, we were able to identify the safest and most effective location to carry out the hoists
Personnel from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen used an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter to hoist the four affected sailors off the vessel. "The ship presented a complicated hoisting environment, but thanks to excellent management of the crew’s resources, teamwork and adaptability, we were able to identify the safest and most effective location to carry out the hoists," said Lieutenant Stan Raymond, copilot of the mission.
The sailors were taken to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, where emergency medical personnel received them, and were later transported to a hospital in Carolina for treatment.