SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –  Coast Guard rescue crews ended their search Monday afternoon for two overdue Guayama fishermen following their rescue by a Good Samaritan, approximately two nautical miles south from the entrance of Guayama Bay, Puerto Rico.

The rescued fishermen are Guayama residents, Andrés Vázquez and Victor Carrasquillo, who reportedly were wearing their lifejackets and dehydrated when they were rescued from the water, after their 19-foot wooden fishing vessel reportedly sank off the coast of Guayama. 

“This is a great case of how safe boating practices and the actions of a selfless mariner and a caring brother combined to help save two lives,” said Cmdr. James Sutton, Sector San Juan chief of response.  “The fishermen increased their survival probabilities by using their lifejackets, while the brother of the fisherman who reported the incident and the Good Samaritan proved to be critical in rescuing and delivering the fishermen to safety.”

The Good Samaritan transferred the fishermen to awaiting Puerto Rico Police in Guayama, who in turn, transported them to the hospital to receive further medical care.

Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a telephone call Monday morning from the 911 emergency operator, who relayed a report from the brother of one of the fishermen stating the men departed at 2 p.m. Sunday from Puerto de las Mareas in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The men reportedly did not return from their fishing trip at midnight when they were expected to arrive.   

Coast Guard rescue crews aboard an a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Air Station Miami and a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Borinquen, Aguadilla searched approximately 500 square nautical miles for the rescued fishermen.  Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action and Puerto Department of Environmental and Natural Resources rescue crews were also involved in the search.

Boating and Water Safety Tips:

• Check the weather before casting off and monitor the weather by radio continuously. 
• It is recommended that everyone always wear a life jacket when in the water, but at a minimum have a properly fitting life jacket for every person on board and ensure that they are quickly accessible.  Often, when trouble happens, it happens fast. 
• Know the boat you are on, including the location and operation of all safety gear, including a VHF-marine radio.  This is especially true if renting or borrowing a boat that you may not be familiar with.  
• Do not rely on cell phones as a primary means of distress communication.  Coverage is unreliable and communications are only point-to-point, limiting the chances of a Good Samaritan coming to your aid and if you get cut-off the call may not be reestablished.  Radio is your best bet to communicate trouble and get help to you quickly.   
• A float plan should be prepared and shared with friends and family. That will give them an idea of where you are going and when you will return home. The float plan has all pertinent information about your boat, increasing your chances of being rescued. You can download a float plan at:  http://www.floatplancentral.org/ and http://www.floatplancentral.org/download/USCGFloatPlan.pdf.
• You can also contact the Coast Guard Auxiliary for a free vessel safety check log on to www.vesselsafetycheck.org and click on "I Want a VSC" to find a Vessel Examiner near you.
• Taking a safe boating class arms you with valuable information. For a boating safety class with the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Puerto Rico you may call 787-383-9717.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Coast Guard rescue crews are searching Monday for two fishermen reportedly overdue aboard 19 foot-wooden-blue fishing vessel (yola) off the southeastern coast of Guayama, Puerto Rico.

The missing fishermen are residents of Guayama, Puerto Rico.

Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a telephone call Monday morning from the 911 emergency operation, who relayed a report from the brother of one of the fishermen stating the men departed at 2 p.m. Sunday from Puerto de las Mareas in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The men reportedly did not return from their fishing trip at midnight when they were expected to arrive.   

Searching are:

• A rescue aircrew aboard a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Air Station  Miami.

• A rescue crew aboard a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the missing men is requested to contact the Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center at 787-289-2041.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard rescue crews at Sector San Juan ended their search Monday morning in Mona Passage waters for a missing crewman aboard the 498-foot Panamanian cargo vessel Crown Topaz. 

The Coast Guard launched a multi-day search for the 27-year-old man after Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call at 9 a.m. Saturday from the Crown Topaz reporting the incident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of the missing mariner," said Captain Eduardo Pino, Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander.

The crewmen aboard the Crown Topaz reported last seeing the mariner at 11 p.m. Friday and they noticed he was missing when he did not report to his watch at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The Crown Topaz was en route to Portugal from Costa Rica transiting the Mona Passage east of Isla Saona, Dominican Republic and around the northwest coast of Puerto Rico at the time the mariner went missing.

Since the search began Saturday, Coast Guard rescue crews searched approximately 3,830 square nautical miles, an area approximately the size of Puerto Rico, aboard surface and air assets, including MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Borinquen, Aguadilla, an HC-144A Ocean Sentry aircraft from Air Station Miami,  Coast Guard Cutter’s Cushing and Reef Shark and Coast Guard Auxliary aircraft. 

Coast Guard Cutter’s Cushing and Reef Shark are 110-foot and 87-foot patrol boats respectively home ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Coast Guard Sector San Juan Captain of the Port, Capt. Eduardo Pino, reopened and set Port Condition X-RAY at 3 p.m. Tuesday for all the ports in Puerto Rico and the ports of Frederiksted and Christiansted, Saint Croix; Saint Thomas and Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The port in Limetree Bay, Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands remains closed under Port Condition ZULU until further notice.

Coast Guard Port Assessment Teams aboard Coast Guard vehicles, response boats and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters are aggressively working to reconstitute the remaining port in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to safely reopen the navigable waterways as soon as possible.

Ports returning to Port Condition X-RAY in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico may resume all port and maritime operations, including waterfront facility and vessel transits, subject to prudent seamanship and safe work practices. All mariners and facility operators/owners should closely monitor incoming Tropical Storm Fiona since port conditions are subject to change pending changes in the projected track and strength of the weather system.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Coast Guard Sector San Juan Captain of the Port, Capt. Eduardo Pino, reopened at 10 a.m. Tuesday and set Port Condition X-RAY for the ports of San Juan, Ponce, Guayanilla and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

The ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands  and the ports of Vieques, Culebra, Fajardo, and Yabucoa, Puerto Rico remain closed under Port Condition ZULU until further notice.

The ports of Guayama, Arecibo and Salinas, Puerto Rico are restricted to conduct maritime operations under Port Condition YANKEE.

Coast Guard Port Assessment Teams aboard Coast Guard vehicles, response boats and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters are aggressively working to reconstitute the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and eastern Puerto Rico to safely reopen the navigable waterways as soon as possible.

Ports returning to Port Condtion X-RAY in Puerto Rico may resume all port and marine operations, including waterfront facility and vessel transits, subject to prudent seamanship and safe work practices. All mariners and facility operators/owners should closely monitor incoming Tropical Storm Fiona since port conditions are subject to change pending changes in the projected track and strength of the weather system

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Coast Guard Sector San Juan Captain of the Port, Capt. Eduardo Pino, has set Port Condition  ZULU at 8 a.m. Monday for all the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and 10 a.m. Monday for the eastern ports of Puerto Rico, due to the expectation that gale force winds generated by Hurricane Earl are expected to arrive within 12 hours.

During Port Condition ZULU, the ports of  the U.S. Virgin Islands and the port of  Vieques, Culebra, Fajardo, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, will remain closed to all incoming and outgoing vessel traffic until directed by the Captain of the Port.

All intra-island ferries in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands transiting ports under Port Condition ZULU must cease operations and be secured at their designated mooring facility when Port Condition ZULU is in place for their respective port.

The Captain has set Port Condition YANKEE at 10 a.m. Monday for the port of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico and he anticipates setting Port Condition ZULU at 2p.m. Monday.

All other ports in Puerto Rico will remain at Port Condition X-RAY until further notice.

Future port conditions cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty, but provided the storm remains on the projected course and track, port stakeholders can expect the established progression of port conditions.

Owners and operators of recreational vessels should follow the small craft advisories from the National Weather Service, and take the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of their vessels.

For additional information regarding this bulletin please call the Sector San Juan Command Center at (787) 289-2041.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Coast Guard Sector San Juan Captain of the Port, Capt. Eduardo Pino, has set Port Condition YANKEE at 11:30 p.m. Sunday for all the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the eastern ports of Puerto Rico, due to the expectation that gale force winds generated by Hurricane Earl are expected to arrive within 24 hours.

During Port Condition YANKEE, the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the following ports of Vieques, Culebra, Fajardo and San Juan, Puerto Rico are closed to inbound vessels traffic.  Vessels greater than 200 gross tons currently in port should get underway at this time, while all other vessels remaining in port are to take appropriate precautionary measures.

The Captain of the Port anticipates setting Port Condition ZULU at 8 a.m. Monday for the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and at 10 a.m. Monday for the ports of Vieques, Culebra, Fajardo and San Juan, Puerto Rico, as long as the storm track for Hurricane Earl remains as forecasted.

During Port Condition ZULU (sustained gale force winds from a hurricane force storm are predicted within 12 hours) the ports will remain closed to all incoming and outgoing vessel traffic until directed by the Captain of the Port.

All intra-island ferries in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands transiting ports under Port Condition ZULU must cease operations and be secured at their designated mooring facility when Port Condition ZULU is in place for their respective port.

Future port conditions cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty, but provided the storm remains on the projected course and track, port stakeholders can expect the established progression of port conditions.

Owners and operators of recreational vessels should follow the small craft advisories from the National Weather Service, and take the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of their vessels.

For additional information regarding this bulletin please call the Sector San Juan Command Center at (787) 289-2041.

"Update 1"

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Coast Guard strongly urges the maritime community and boating public to monitor and take early action Sunday to protect themselves and their vessels as Hurricane Earl approaches the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Mariners are urged to secure their vessels for Hurricane Earl.  The time to take action is now! As seen during Hurricane Katrina, those who heeded the warnings of Coast Guard and local law enforcement authorities were able to keep themselves, and first responders, out of jeopardy.

Mariners should take necessary precautions to ensure their personal safety should a storm or hurricane approach. Extremely high seas, heavy rains and damaging winds that accompany tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to mariners. Rescue and assistance by the Coast Guard and other agencies may be severely degraded or unavailable immediately before, during and after a devastating storm.

Adverse weather effects generated by a depression, storm or hurricane can cover an area hundreds of miles wide. Even those recreational boaters and the maritime industry that fall outside of the direct path of the storm are advised to be cognizant of dangerous weather conditions and take appropriate precautions to stay safe and minimize damage.

Here are a few tips to help mariners protect themselves, their families and their vessels:

 • Do not go out to sea in a recreational boat if you know a tropical storm is approaching.

 • Contact local marinas to ask for advice about securing your vessel. Marina operators are knowledgeable and can advise you on the best methods for securing your boat.

 • Take action now. The effects of a tropical storm can be felt well in advance of the storm itself and can prevent the safe completion of preparations.

 • Check with local authorities before entering any storm-damaged area. Do not rush to your boat. Boaters should not place themselves in danger to get to a boat.

 • Do not try to reach your boat if it has been forced into the water and is surrounded by debris. Wait until authorities have made safe access available. Do not try to board a partially sunken boat; seek salvage assistance from a professional.

 • Storms move quickly and are unpredictable. You can always replace a boat; you cannot replace a life.

The Coast Guard requests that the public not call Coast Guard facilities for weather information, but to listen to weather broadcasts.  Important storm information can also be viewed at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

From left to right: Lt. James O'Mara,  Coast Guard Cutter Farallon commanding officer, gives a tour of the Farallon to Ricardo Lansiquot, Aruba National Security Advisor; Lt. Cmdr. Neil Marcelino, Coast Guard International Port Security Officer Caribbean & West Africa; Ronnie Angela, Port Facility Security Officer Aruba Ports Authority; Gregory Lacle, Curacao Port Facility Security Officer;  Marlon La Roche, Curacao Harbor Master, during an International Port Security visit to Puerto Rico Aug. 17.  (U.S. Coast Guard Photo). 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard Sector San Juan hosted delegates from the Kingdom of the Netherlands Island of Aruba and Netherland Antilles Island of Curacao during a three-day International Port Security visit to port facilities in Puerto Rico Aug 17-19.

"We want to make sure that our international trading partners receive the same courtesies extended to us when we visit their ports and facilities and provide them with the latest executable information to include overseeing the actual paces of a port facility inspection,” said Lt Cmdr. Luis Parrales, Sector San Juan chief of inspections division .  “This professional exchange between maritime experts allows us to better represent the Coast Guard’s International Port Security Program throughout the Caribbean, as we continue to build and maintain relationships in this key maritime arena.”

Ricardo Lansiquot, Aruba National Security Advisor; Ronnie Angela, Port Facility Security Officer Aruba Ports Authority; Gregory Lacle, Curacao Port Facility Security Officer and Marlon La Roche, Curacao Harbor Master, received a tour of San Juan Harbor and visited port and water front facilities such as the Puerto Rico Ports Authority Cruise Ship Terminal in Old San Juan, Crowley Service facility in Isla Grande, the Commonwealth Oil Refining Company, Inc. and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority EcoElectric facilities in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico.  The delegates were introduced to the Facility Security Officers, who provided presentations as to how security measures are implemented at their respective facilities. This gave the delegates of Aruba and Curacao a great opportunity to compare and share best practices in their implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) to that of the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) implemented in the U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard, through its International Port Security Program (IPSP), encourages bilateral or multilateral discussions with nations around the world in an effort to exchange information and share best practices that align implementation and enforcement requirements of the MTSA with the ISPS Code and other international maritime security standards. As lead agency for maritime security in the U.S., the Coast Guard works closely with our international trading partners to promote reasonable and consistent implementation and enforcement of the ISPS code for enhanced maritime security in countries (and ports) that participate in global trade. https://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/browse.do?channelId=-18389.