Freighter adrift in Hurricane Ike, Rescue attempt fails
584-foot freighter Antalina in better days, ship even shows signs of poor maitnenance in this photo. (Courtesey of shipspotting.com)
From the U.S. Coast Guard Press Release -
HOUSTON - The Coast Guard received a call around 4 a.m. Sept. 12, 2008, from the motor vessel Antalina, a 584-foot freighter with 22 people aboard and carrying Petroleum Coke, reporting that they had lost main propulsion 90-miles southeast of Galveston and are drifting southwest away from the coast.
The Antalina , a Cypress flagged vessel, is currently unable to steer or make way and is directly in the path of Hurricane Ike. The Coast Guard is in hourly contact with the crew and they report to be in good condition.
The Coast Guard’s response options are being monitored from both the Incident Command Post in Katy and the District Eight Command Center in New Orleans. The Coast Guard’s response capabilities are extremely limited due to the location of its helicopters, which have been pre-staged for post-hurricane response, and the proximity of the Antalina to Hurricane Ike.
The Antalina departed Port Arthur, Texas to seek a safe haven away from Hurricane Ike when the vessel lost propulsion.
NEW ORLEANS - Coast Guard and Air Force rescue crews, who were en route to rescue the crew of the Bulk Freighter Antalina were forced to abort the rescue, Friday, Sept. 12, 2008. The rescue crews were forced to land in Lake Charles, La. due to prohibitive heavy weather.
The HU-25 Falcon rescue jet was able to reach the Antalina and observed 20-foot seas, 80-knot winds and visibility as low as a half-mile.
“Unfortunately there were 80-knot winds on scene, well beyond the operating conditions for the air crews to safely rescue the crew of the Antalina. The safety of the rescue crews and the crew of the Antalina are of the utmost importance to us. The Coast Guard will continue to maintain contact with the crew of the Antalina and monitor their situation very closely,” said Rear Adm. Joel R. Whitehead, commander, Eighth Coast Guard District.
Sad to hear this news. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the crew which is going to have to ride out the storm. Anyone who has ever encountered heavy weather at sea knows that it can be a humbling and extremely scary experience. Hopefully we will see some good news after the storm passes.
