Maritime Rescue On the Hudson River in Saugerties New York

Earlier this week, the Ulster County Sheriff's Department, along with other agencies, assisted the Coast Guard in retrieving an injured man on a freighter in the Middle of the Hudson River as it was traveling south from Albany.

Ulster County Sheriff's Office Rescues Injured Crew Member off Freighter

Having lived near the Hudson River most of my life, I am aware of the number of boats that travel up and down the river, but I never gave much thought to what happens if someone on one of these giant freighters gets injured.

Turns out agencies like the local sheriff's department and other first responders are called on to help. As was the case earlier this week, when a man had to be taken off a ship up near Catskill.

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Video Footage of The Crew Member Rescued from Freighter in the Hudson River

There is video footage of the man being hoisted down from the ship, while I believe the ship was still moving according to the social media post. The video is a bit grainy, but you can see the team working to lower the man and get him on board the Ulster County Sheriff's vessel M27. Then later, the crew member was transferred to the Coast Guard.

Ulster County Sheriff’s vessel M27 maneuvered alongside the SHENG PING HAI, which remained under power as it continued south on the Hudson River. Maintaining pace with the freight vessel, Sheriff Deputies, along with Coast Guard and Diaz Ambulance members, facilitated the transfer of the injured crewmember. He was carefully lowered in a Stokes litter from the SHENG PING HAI onto M27.

 

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According to the post shared by the Ulster County Sheriff's office, the injured crew member was a 23-year-old male identified as a fourth assistant engineer who is from China. The ship identified as SHENG PING HAI is a freight vessel that had left Albany headed for Barranquilla, Colombia.

The injured crew member had sustained spine injuries. Deputies from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office coordinated this maritime medical evacuation with the Coast Guard based out of Saugerties and Diaz Memorial Ambulance Service. It was a Coast Guard on-call flight surgeon who advised the crew member to be evacuated.

The injured crew member was sent to Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston, where it was determined that the injuries were not life-threatening. The circumstances around the injury and how it occurred are still under investigation. There is no update on the ship's course or the crew member.