Coast Guard Rescues Crew From Life Rafts After Fire Breaks Out On Research Vessel In Gulf Of Mexico

U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued mariners from life rafts on 12 October after a fire broke out aboard the Cyprus-flagged seismic research vessel Rem Andes about 100 nautical miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Footage released by the U.S. Coast Guard shows an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station New Orleans hovering over the open water as a rescue swimmer is lowered toward a life raft carrying evacuated crew members.

The vessel issued a mayday after the fire broke out, prompting a response from multiple Coast Guard aircraft, including a C-27 Spartan from Air Station Clearwater and an HC-144 from Aviation Training Center Mobile.

Crew members boarded life rafts and were transferred by good Samaritan offshore supply vessels to Port Fourchon. The fire was extinguished, and commercial salvage operations began.

Initial Coast Guard reports said 42 people were aboard the vessel, while later accounts referenced as many as 46. Some crew members reportedly remained aboard temporarily to help fight the fire. No injuries were reported.