Bulk Carrier Crew Member Injured in Fall from Ship's Crane Off Puerto Rico

A Chinese crew member of the bulk carrier Bunun Hero had to be medevaced from the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico after being injured in a fall from the ship’s crane, the Coast Guard said.

U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received the medevac request at 5 p.m., Monday from the Panamanian-flagged ship for a 20-year-old crewmember, who sustained multiple broken bones and a head injury after falling from a crane onboard the ship.

The Bunun Hero was transiting on a voyage to Europe and approximately 525 nautical miles northeast of Puerto Rico, outside the range of responding rescue helicopters, when the captain of the ship reported the incident to the Coast Guard.

Sector San Juan watchstanders requested the Bunun Hero head towards Puerto Rico to shorten the distance for the medevac.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew was sent to the rendezvous point, where a rescue swimmer helped to hoist the injured crew member onboard the helicopter. They then transported the patient to the Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he was submitted to a hospital for treatment.

There has been no update on the condition of the victim.