SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew pulled off a complex, long-range medical evacuation of a 46-year-old mariner from a commercial motor vessel roughly 100 nautical miles east of St. Maarten on Sept. 19, 2026, the service said.
The crew from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen responded to the stricken mariner and hoisted the patient aboard an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter, according to the Coast Guard. The aircraft then transported the man to the Centro Médico Hospital trauma center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for emergency specialized care.
Thermal camera footage released by the Coast Guard shows the helicopter’s view of the vessel during the hoist operation, with the rescue unfolding over open water far from shore. The service described the mission as a complex, long-range evacuation — a reminder of the distances aircrews in the Caribbean routinely cover to reach mariners in distress.
The patient’s condition was not immediately released. The Coast Guard routinely conducts medevacs from commercial vessels transiting Caribbean waters when a crew member needs care beyond what is available aboard.
Rights: Footage: U.S. Coast Guard via DVIDS. Public domain. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense visual information does not imply or constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense.