U.S. Coast Guard Medevacs Crew Member from Heavy-Lift Vessel Ocean Gladiator South of Hawaii

A crew member aboard the U.S.-flagged heavy-lift tweendecker Ocean Gladiator was medically evacuated by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on October 8 after developing a medical issue approximately 540 miles southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii while the vessel was en route from Baltimore to Manila.

The Coast Guard's rescue coordination centre in Honolulu monitored the patient's condition remotely while the vessel closed the distance to within helicopter range. Once Ocean Gladiator reached approximately 90 miles from the Big Island, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew flew out, lowered a rescue swimmer to the vessel's starboard bridge wing, and hoisted the patient to shore for medical care. The vessel subsequently resumed its commercial voyage.

Ocean Gladiator was built in 2010 and entered the U.S. registry in 2020. The 17,000 DWT tweendecker is fitted with twin 400-tonne heavy-lift cranes