Seven Rescued After Coastal Freighter Sinks Off Haiti

Photo:U.S. Coast Guard Photo

Seven crewmembers were rescued after their 100-foot coastal freighter began taking on water and sank Friday approximately 45 miles north off of Cap Haitien, Haiti.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports receiving a report from a tug stating they heard a distress call from a vessel claiming to be taking on water off the coast of Great Inagua, Bahamas.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Operations Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) was sent to the scene and located the MV Calypso approximately 50 miles off the coast of Great Inagua. The helicopter crew lowered a rescue swimmer down with a dewatering pump as Calypso began to slowly transit towards Haiti. At about 12:30 p.m. the Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton arrived on scene and assisted with the dewatering of the vessel.

All seven crewmembers and Coast Guard personnel were eventually removed from the listing vessel. The ship sank at approximately 7:30 p.m. in nearly 4,000 feet of water.

The vessel was reported to have approximately 500 gallons of diesel onboard.