All nine people aboard the rig were rescued with no reported injuries.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.
HOUSTON — A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a RB-M crews rescue 9 people Thursday from a rig on fire near Sabine Pass, Texas.
Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a notification at 12:51 p.m. from the dredging vessel Ohio that the Pride Wisconsin, a mobile offshore drilling rig, was on fire in Sabine Pass with nine people aboard.
Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a Coast Guard Station Sabine Pass 45-foot Response Boat–Medium (RB-M) crew and an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin Short-Range Recovery Helicopter aircrew to assist. The Port Arthur Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also responded, all under the coordination of the Sector Houston-Galveston commander center personnel.
The MH-65 Dolphin SRR helicopter aircrew arrived on-scene, lowered a rescue swimmer and began hoisting the crewmembers. The MH-65 Dolphin crew transported all nine crewmembers to a nearby rig which was accessible by land allowing the crewmembers to meet with emergency medical services (EMS) personnel onshore.
All nine people aboard the rig were rescued with no reported injuries.
U.S. Coast Guard video.
U.S. Coast Guard Heartland.
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston.
Department of Homeland Security.
No injuries were reported and there are no signs of pollution at this time.
The Port Arthur Fire Department will maintain the scene until they can confirm that the fire has burned itself out.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
«Thanks to the phenomenal teamwork and coordination by everyone involved, nine lives were saved,» said Capt. Keith M. Donohue, search and rescue mission coordinator for the case. «Coast Guard crews and personnel train year-round for life-saving situations like this and we take great pleasure in knowing everyone was able to go home safely.»
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