The US Coast Guard rescued 12 crew members from an offshore supply vessel off the Texas coast just ahead of last night's powerful landfall by Hurricane Harvey, which is continuing to shutter ports and keep ships away from heavily trafficked ports across the Texas coast.
Air crews from the USCG's station in Corpus Christi hoisted the crew of Baldone Offshore's 661-dwt Gulf Justice (built 1978) into two helicopters.
At the time of its distress call, the US-flag was taking on water in the path of the powerful storm. The reasons for its situation were not announced, and the status of the vessel is currently unclear.
The Texas coast remains hunkered down after Hurricane Harvey made landfall late Friday night between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor. It arrived as a Category 4 storm but weakened to a Category 1, though it is expected to linger in South Texas for days.
The USCG was responding to three tugs Saturday morning that have issued distress calls in the Lydia Ann Channel off Port Aransas, which is near Corpus Christi.
Two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters were deployed to aid the vessels.
“As information continues to come in to the Coast Guard, we continue to monitor and respond to any situations for safety of life at sea,” said Captain Tony Hahn, commander of the agency's Sector Corpus Christi.
Meanwhile, three Carnival Cruise Lines vessels and one Royal Caribbean International cruiseship are unable to make their scheduled return to Galveston, where the port remains shuttered to traffic.
